An Umayyad Bronze Reticulated Incense Burner With Bird Finial, Syria, 8th Century

of rectangular form with a domed, hinged cover decorated with a cockerel finial standing on a radiating solar medallion, worked in openwork with vegetal and vine scroll decoration, curved handle with knot decoration, handle detached

fair condition, with surface patination consistent with age, cracks and missing metalwork consistent with age, as viewed.
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This bronze incense burner demonstrates early Islamic stylistic characteristics. It can be compared with another incense burner in the Provincial Museum of Gävle in Sweden, which has been attributed to the Persian or Eastern Mediterranean area as early as the ninth century (Stockholm 1985, p.34).

It is also befitting to look at an incense burner dated to the eigth/ninth century from Syria in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art (London, inv.no.MTW1044) which displays a similar openwork decoration, rounded arches and vaults with foliate decorations (Amsterdam 1999, p.211, no.182).