Art, literature & history
A Censer
c. 1480–90
- Dating
- Approximate date range
- Held at
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Medium
- engraving
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 26.4 x 21 cm (10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
- Collection no.
- 1951.429
- Attribution
- By the artist
- Image rights
- CC0 1.0License details
Martin Schongauer. A Censer. The Cleveland Museum of Art. CC0 1.0. Compressed full-frame reproduction.
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
About this artwork
A Censer — Martin Schongauer. c. 1480–90.
Medium: engraving. Dimensions: Sheet: 26.4 x 21 cm (10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.).
Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
Censers are liturgical containers swung back and forth on long chains to disperse incense during the celebration of the mass. In this print, Martin Schongauer exploited his early training as a goldsmith to create a detailed reproduction of a life-size censer. The exquisite filigree design of the openwork areas, and the minute figurines of angels holding chains that crumple on the ground and cast slight shadows suggest that Schongauer's Censer could have been a close replica of an existing censer, or a model for a goldsmith.
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.