Incense Burner or Pomander in the Form of a Lynx

Image credit: The Khalili Collections

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The lynx seems to be pawing the ground, as if about to jump up and catch its prey on the wing, as is the habit of lynxes. The impracticality of using the tail as a handle and the inconvenience of replenishing the incense when it was full of hot coals make it more probable that this vessel was a pomander, filled with a paste of ambergris and spices to scent the air, and only requiring occasional refilling.

The Khalili Collections

London

Title

Incense Burner or Pomander in the Form of a Lynx

Date

late 12th C or early 13th C

Medium

copper alloy, cast, with engraved & openwork decoration

Accession number

308

Work type

Sculpture

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The Khalili Collections

London, Greater London England

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