Image Details

BROOKLYN MUSEUM, CHARLES EDWIN WILBOUR FUND

HOLY SMOKERS. Censers for burning incense came in a variety of shapes and sizes. The ornately crafted 11-inch-tall bronze censer above, which likely originally stood in a Jewish or Samaritan synagogue or shrine, features a bowl decorated with openwork rings and birds and a stand fashioned in the shape of lions’ paws. A dedicatory inscription etched on the bowl indicates the censer was donated by Auxanon, a member of the community.