CENSER

Cast copper alloy censer of medieval date (1050 - 1200AD). The censer consists only of the upper part which is known as either a cover or lid. The overall design of the cover is in the architectural form and consists of a cruciform building with a square tower (probably a church) which sits upon a sub-spherical (hemispherical) dome. At the base of the dome are three projecting cast loops. These are evenly spaced and would have contained rods which would have held the bottom dish (now missing). The three loops each project 9mm, have a width of 14mm, are between 6-7mm thick and have an internal diameter of 5.6mm. The cover is broadly sub circular in plan and it is irregular in both profile and cross section. It measures 96.1mm in length, 94.5mm width and it is 79.5mm high. The cover weighs 195.03 grams.

The design and decoration of the censer cover is complex. It consists of cast, pierced, applied and incised motifs. This decoration can be divided into two major zones: that on the hemispherical domed base, and that on the architectural top.

The hemispherical base is decorated with a number of poorly executed interlinked designs. The first part of this design consists of three off-set rows of pierced decoration. The lowest row of consists of circular and semi-circular pierced holes of varying sizes (total 13 holes; maximum hole size 7.5 length, 6.5 width). The second row consists of pierced diamond and oval shaped holes of varying sizes (total 13 holes; maximum size 9mm length, 9.5mm width) and the top row is made up of small circular pierced holes (13 holes; maximum diameter 5mm). All the pierced holes are separated by incised lines. The lowest holes are enclosed by incised semi-circles and the middle and upper holes are separated by diamond-shaped panels formed by incised curvi-linear lines. Around the base of the cover is a double incised line. The workmanship on these patterns on the lower part of the censer cover is poor. Many of the incised lines are poorly cut and overlap one another.

The architectural (top part) of the censer cover is decorated with more skill than that of the lower. The decoration consists of a cruciform shaped building with a central tower. This cast design rises from the dome below. None of the four wings of the building are identical; however, they are all very similar. Each end of the building has two oval arched windows cut (pierced) into it. Around each of the two windows are incised arches (in the Romanesque style) which mirror the shape of the pierced hole. In all four examples these arches are enclosed by a larger single semi circular arch which mirrors the shape of the roof. Inside this arch and above the windows is a small incised cross. This cross is visible in three of the four end walls. In a couple of the end walls there is also the suggestion of incised cross hatching which might suggest stonework. The roof of each wing of the building has a number of incised sub rectangular panels on it. These represent either tiles or wooden shingles.

The central tower of the cruciform building is sub-rectangular in plan and profile, with slight inwardly sloping walls. They are decorated in a very similar way to the end walls of the wings. Each of the four walls has two arched pierced windows in it, which are surrounded by similar shaped incised arches. There is also evidence of similar cross hatching which would indicate stone work, however the small crosses in the gables are not present. The roof of the tower slopes slightly and this is decorated with a similar pattern of incised lines suggesting roofing tiles or shingles. At the centre of the tower is a sub cylindrical projection, probably with a looped terminal. This is broken at the loop. The function of this loop would be to lift the censer lid from the base to enable the incense to burn within.

The censer cover is a mid green colour with an even patina that covers all surfaces. There is also evidence of a black applied coating adhering to many of the inner and outer surfaces of the cover. The presence of this may be due to three factors. 1) It might be as a result of the burning of the incense in the censer. 2) It might be due to the application of an oil similar to linseed. This may have been deliberately blackened or burnt to produce a particular finish. Such finishes are known from other medieval metalwork. 3) It may have been a result of the burial environment. There are also several areas (especially on the inside of the cover) which have been affected by corrosion. These have caused little distortion to the overall design. There is also some damage from abrasion present; this has caused the loss of some surfaces. The damage to the central loop is relatively old as a green patina similar to that on the rest of the cover has developed. This suggests that this damage occurred in antiquity probably prior to deposition.

There are a number of censers known from both Britain and Europe dating from the early Norman (medieval period). This example fits into Tonnocchy's brief classification (1937) as one of the later architectural forms. These have been dated to the period 1050-1200 mainly by their Romanesque architectural details. The closest parallel to this example is from Ferguston Muir, Bearsden near Glasgow found in 1879 (now held in Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum) illustrated in 'Angels, Nobles and Unicorns'. This example is complete with both its suspension chains and dish. A similar arrangement of chains is suggested for this example; with three chains attached to three bars secured to the censer by the suspension loops. The three bars would aid the raising of the cover (by a fourth chain secured to the central loop) to allow the incense to burn and the priest to carry out specific rituals.

Thanks are extended to Marian Campbell (Senior Curator of Metalwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London) and Dr Helen Geake (PAS) for their help with the identification and sourcing of parallels for this unusual and rare find. Published in Geake (2005, 344; fig. 8).