The Metalik Censers in Topkapı Palace Museum

Abstract

The censers form a major section among the metallic work-of-arts developed as an important branch of Turkish Handcraft. The custom of burning incense that had also been adopted before the Islamic Faith had persisted after acceptance of the Islamic Faith. The censers used for the purpose of converting the internal places of the palaces and mansions as well particularly as the mosques mainly comprise of the lid, fire pan and the pedestal sections. The lids of the censer manufactured with tombac material are decorated with embroidery openwork for the purpose of allowing the odor to go out. The 4 units of tombac censer material present in Topkapi Palace and constituting the subject of our study had been introduced from the aspects of their forms, ornamentation, structure and decoration techniques and after this, efforts had been made to determine their status in the course of development of the Turkish. metallic art.