Bronze thymiaterion (incense burner)

Unknown

late 6th century BCE · Bronze · Greek and Roman Art

Incense burners were popular items among the Etruscans, who often buried their dead with them. This example is typical of a type normally associated with Vulci, the site of extensive bronze-working activity throughout much of Etruscan history. A robust nude youth, a descendant of the Greek kouros type, stands on a triangular platform supported by a tripod with lion's-paw feet. The shaft rising from his head terminates in a plant-like form that originally supported a small bowl for the incense.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 6th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Etruscan

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1897