19th century bronze INCENSORY in the Mosan Romanesque style - Lot 1013

19th century bronze INCENSORY in the Mosan Romanesque style depicting a scene from the Old Testament. H: 20 cm. At the top, the scene of three young Hebrews refusing to honor the statue of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar condemned them to be thrown into a furnace, where they were rescued by an angel. The object's decoration is thus linked to its function: the smoke rising from it during the religious service gave the impression that the figures were sitting on an inferno. The Latin inscription around the edge of the object probably names its patron: "I, Rénier, give this censer as a sign that at the hour of death you will grant me a funeral similar to yours, and I believe that your prayers will be like incense for Christ". This object is a replica of an incense burner kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille (n° inv A82), considered a masterpiece of Mosan Romanesque art, which was copied many times during the 19th century as the taste for medieval art developed. As soon as it was discovered, it attracted the attention of medieval art enthusiasts, including the famous architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879).