GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Decorated incense burners, sometimes referred to as braziers or incensarios, were used throughout Mesoamerica. Those used exclusively for the burning of incense are known as a censers. In Mesoamerica, censers were often used to burn rubber or copal (tree resin) as an offering to the gods and possibly to evoke rain clouds. The smoke from the incense would rise into the sky, creating billowing columns of scented black smoke. Though these vessels varied greatly in size, form, and material, the burning of incense had spiritual and religious connotations and often influenced the design and decoration of the censer. Various cultures since antiquity have used incense burning as a way to make offerings to deities or to facilitate communication with them. For example, in Buddhism incense is believed to purify a space, and in Christianity incense is often perceived as a symbol of a prayer rising into the heavens.
Adapted from
- Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Head of the rain god (1967.5)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 51.
- "Head of the rain god Tlaloc (1967.5)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 192.
- Carol Robbins, Label text [1967.5], A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
- "Head of the rain god Tlaloc," DMA Connect, 2012.
- Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Barbara Barrett, and Dana DeLoach, DMA Teaching Packet, 1995.
NOTES
- NOTE: Please use image in DMA collections. (See rules)
- General Description drawn from: Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Barbara Barrett, and Dana DeLoach, "Head of the rain god Tlaloc (1967.5)," in Ancient American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, DMA Teaching Packet (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 20-21.
ASSOCIATED CONTENT CHUNKS
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
set operator as or
apply to objects where number equals 1967.5
apply to objects where department_id equals 8 and title contains censer
Category
rules_operator
OR
General Description
Decorated incense burners, sometimes referred to as braziers or incensarios, were used throughout Mesoamerica. Those used exclusively for the burning of incense are known as a censers. In Mesoamerica, censers were often used to burn rubber or copal (tree resin) as an offering to the gods and possibly to evoke rain clouds. The smoke from the incense would rise into the sky, creating billowing columns of scented black smoke. Though these vessels varied greatly in size, form, and material, the burning of incense had spiritual and religious connotations and often influenced the design and decoration of the censer. Various cultures since antiquity have used incense burning as a way to make offerings to deities or to facilitate communication with them. For example, in Buddhism incense is believed to purify a space, and in Christianity incense is often perceived as a symbol of a prayer rising into the heavens.
Adapted from
- Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Head of the rain god (1967.5)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 51.
- "Head of the rain god Tlaloc (1967.5)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 192.
- Carol Robbins, Label text [1967.5], A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
- "Head of the rain god Tlaloc," DMA Connect, 2012.
- Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Barbara Barrett, and Dana DeLoach, DMA Teaching Packet, 1995.
Fun Facts
TEACHING IDEAS
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- NOTE: Please use image in DMA collections. (See rules)
- General Description drawn from: Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Barbara Barrett, and Dana DeLoach, "Head of the rain god Tlaloc (1967.5)," in Ancient American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, DMA Teaching Packet (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 20-21.
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1967.5
Apply To
Objects
department_id
Equals
8 and title contains censer
source file
cultures_and_traditions-0111.xml.nores