Rare Bronze Incense Burner from Ancient Yemen to Be Auctioned in London in 2025
Yemeni archaeologist Abdullah Mohsen has revealed that a rare bronze incense burner from ancient Yemen will be put up for sale at a public auction in London, set to take place on March 4, 2025. This incense burner, accompanied by an Israeli export license, is considered one of Yemen's ancient artifacts.
Dating back more than 2600 years, the burner stands at 28 cm tall and weighs approximately 9 kg. Its design is unique, shaped like a vessel with raised edges adorned with nails featuring concentric rings, with two bird-like supports extending from the sides.
The front of the incense burner is decorated with embossed Musnad script, including an image of a quadruped animal, thought to be a lion. The British auction expert noted that the animal motifs do not align with the typical designs found in ancient Yemen, suggesting possible foreign influences in its design
According to a study published in 2023 by archaeologists Sabina Antonini de Migret and Christian Julien Rubin, the incense burner is regarded as a one-of-a-kind piece due to its innovative structure, featuring two ostrich figures with open wings supporting the vessel used to burn incense.
The inscriptions on the incense burner indicate that it was dedicated to the god "Athtar Dhul-Ghurab," further connecting it to the region of Nishan, an area in Yemen's Al-Jawf province that was historically known as "Nishan."
Mohsen mentioned that this incense burner was part of the private collection of Shlomo Musayef before being sold to its current owner on May 18, 2021. He confirmed that the Time Line Auction House follows rigorous procedures to verify the authenticity and origin of artifacts, with each piece undergoing review by a specialized committee of ten experts in archaeology and ancient arts
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