The Censer

Prints and Drawings

1470/74

Martin Schongauer
German, c. 1430/50-1491

Although best known now for his engravings, Martin Schongauer was initially a goldsmith as well as a painter. The extraordinary detail of his early Censer suggests either a design for a planned commission, or a close replica of an existing one. Censers were ornate sculptured objects used in Catholic churches to distribute clouds of incense during Mass by swinging them back and forth on long chains. This one is covered with a heavenly host and boasts numerous openwork areas to allow the clouds of smoke to emerge.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Martin Schongauer
Title: The Censer
Place: Germany (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Artist's working dates 1450–1491
Medium: Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions: Image: 25.8 × 20.7 cm (10 3/16 × 8 3/16 in.); Sheet, trimmed within plate: 30.2 × 20.7 cm (11 15/16 × 8 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Reference Number: 1956.44
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/86268/manifest.json

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Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.