Angels Swinging Censers
Unknown Artist
ca. 1170
Medium
Pot-metal glass, vitreous paint, and lead
Dimensions
18 1/2 x 17 5/16 in. (47 x 44 cm)
Classification
Glass-Stained
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ella Brummer, in memory of her husband, Ernest Brummer, 1977
Accession Number
1977.346.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the ethereal "Angels Swinging Cens," a luminous stained-glass panel crafted by an unknown French artist around 1170. This medieval gem, measuring about 18½ by 17 inches, captures two graceful angels in mid-motion, swinging ornate censers that trail wisps of incense—a vivid symbol of heavenly worship and divine purification. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Department, it was generously gifted in 1977 by Ella Br in memory of her husband, Ernest. Created during the Romanesque period transitioning to Gothic, the panel exemplifies the era's devotion to radiant religious ...