Incense Burner thumbnail 1
Incense Burner thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Incense Burner

ca. 1670 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Perfume burners were used to dispel the odour of food. This piece divides into two chambers. The lower one was for burning charcoal which vaporised the perfume contained in the upper. The scented smoke would then waft out through the pierced body.

Large sculptural objects for display had always been an important feature of aristocratic and princely silver. But Restoration England commented with disapproval upon the extravagance of the latest fashion (imported from France) for massive silver furniture, chandeliers, wine cisterns and other heavy types of plate. Impressive and monumental Baroque silver of this kind had a particular appeal for Arthur Gilbert.

Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Bowl
  • Stem
  • Cover
  • Bowl
Materials and techniques
Silver, embossed, pierced and chased
Brief description
Silver, England, ca.1670
Physical description
Silver incense burner of double baluster form with two chambers - one for burning charcoal, the other to contain perfume. The body is embossed, pierced and chased with putti on scrolling foliage.
Dimensions
  • Height: 37.5cm
  • Diameter: 22.2cm
  • Weight: 2480g
Marks and inscriptions
No marks
Gallery label
(Gallery 70, case 4) 7. Perfume burner About 1670 Perfume burners were used to dispel the odour of food. This piece divides into two chambers. The lower chamber was for burning charcoal, which vaporised the perfume contained in the upper section. The scented smoke would then waft out through the pierced body of the burner. Probably London, England Silver Formerly in the collection of Archibald Primrose and his wife Hannah de Rothschild, Mentmore Towers Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.612:1 to 4-2008(16/11/2016)
Credit line
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Production
No marks
Subjects depicted
Summary
Perfume burners were used to dispel the odour of food. This piece divides into two chambers. The lower one was for burning charcoal which vaporised the perfume contained in the upper. The scented smoke would then waft out through the pierced body.

Large sculptural objects for display had always been an important feature of aristocratic and princely silver. But Restoration England commented with disapproval upon the extravagance of the latest fashion (imported from France) for massive silver furniture, chandeliers, wine cisterns and other heavy types of plate. Impressive and monumental Baroque silver of this kind had a particular appeal for Arthur Gilbert.

Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.
Bibliographic references
  • Schroder, Timothy, ed. The Gilbert Collection at the V&A. London (V&A Publishing) 2009, p. 31, pl. 15. ISBN9781851775934
  • Chapman, Martin. The Gilbert Collection of Gold and Silver. Recent Acquisitions 2. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1991, cat. no. D.
Other numbers
  • SG 263 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • SG 122B - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 1996.907 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.612:1 to 4-2008

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Record createdJune 26, 2008
Record URL
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