About the Artwork
Imagine this peacock animated by fragrant smoke wafting through the openings in its back, neck, and beak. Made to contain incense in its hollow body, it would have delighted the nose as much as its elegant plumage and finely engraved feathers enchant the eye.
Most likely produced for a sultanate court in the Deccan region of southern India, this incense burner may have been displayed in a palace room or courtyard. For people in the Deccan sultanates, the scents emerging from this charming sculpture were not only enjoyable — they were believed to nourish the mind, body, and soul. According to esoteric sciences practiced by some members of the courtly elite, pleasant fragrances could also affect supernatural beings, driving away evil spirits or attracting good ones.
Cast in two parts that bisect the bird just below its outstretched wings and with a hinge below the tail to facilitate opening, the burner is marked by soot deposits that attest to its history of use. A curved handle connected to a stand was once likely attached to the back, just below the hinge, to provide stability.
Peacock-shaped Incense Burner
late 15th - mid 16th century
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Indian
Unknown
Brass
Overall: 11 3/4 × 7 3/4 × 7 1/2 inches (29.8 × 19.7 × 19.1 cm)
Metalwork
Asian Art
Museum Purchase, Ernest and Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation Fund
2022.1
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
1971-76, purchased by Anthony Jack (London, UK);1976, consigned to (Spink and Son, London, UK);
1976, purchased by Bashir Mohamed (London, UK);
2021, consigned to (Prahlad Bubbar, London, UK);
2022-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Zebrowski, Mark. Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India. London, 1997, p. 94, (pl. 87).
Michell, George and Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates, The New Cambridge History of India 1.7. New York, 1999, p. 234 (fig. 172).
Haidar, Navina Najat, Marika Sardar, et al. Sultans of Deccan India 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy. New York, 2015, cat. no. 100, pp. 206–7.
Bubbar, Prahlad. Sublime Form. Exh. cat., Frieze Masters. London, 2021, cat. no. 11 (n.p.).
Cole, Alison and Luke Syson. “Obscure objects of desire: five of the best works in Frieze Masters’ new Stand Out section,” Art Newspaper. Accessed on October 14, 2021.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/14/obscure-objects-of-desire.
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Indian, Peacock-shaped Incense Burner, late 15th - mid 16th century, brass. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Ernest and Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation Fund, 2022.1.
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