Islamicate incense burner in Sweden
Type:
Incense burners
Date:
Eighth or ninth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Sweden
Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
H 33 cm
Description:
A domed incense burner found with three tongs and a spout from another vessel traveled a long way from their place of manufacture in Iran or the eastern Mediterranean. These eighth- or ninth-century cast-bronze objects were found in 1943 near the Hamränge parish church in eastern Sweden, close to the Baltic Sea coast. The censer is inscribed in Arabic under the handle with "in the name of God" and "merciful," two parts of the Muslim profession of faith. Swedish Norsemen (Vikings) must have acquired these objects as booty or by means of trade. In Scandinavia, where the inscriptions were probably illegible, these objects might have been used in a domestic context or in conjunction with ritual activities. The openwork technique let the smoke and scent escape.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
5
Repository and Online Resources:
• The incense burner is now in the Länsmuseet Gävleborg.
• Listen to a short podcast by Prof. Marcus Milwright about a coin from Baghdad (803/4) found in a hoard in Scandinavia.
Image Credits:
Länsmuseet Gävleborg
