Existing comment:
Incense Burner in the Form of a Castle (Räucherburg)
ca. 1590
Abraham Jamnitzer
Fashioned by the son of master goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer, this incense burner was kept in the grand ducal Kunstkammer of Baden-Baden. It was likely taken out to decorate banquet tables, where the heady smoke emanating from the base would have permeated the room. The fragrance had both a celebratory and a medicinal function; incense was considered a means to cleanse the air of harmful vapors. |