The replica of the Early Syrian Christian Censer of Deir Mar Musa arrived back from the British Museum
A reception was held on September 25, at the Damascus British Council to commemorate the handing over of the replica of the Deir Mar Musa Censer from the British Museum to Syria. It was attended by the British ambassador in Damascus, the director of the British Council, Syria Dr. Patrick Brazier and the community of Deir Mar Musa.
On 28th September 1870 that well known British consul to Syria and Lebanon Richard Burton paid a visit to the monastery.
It is at this point that the Deir Mar Musa censer emerges out of obscurity and the modern history of the object can be traced. It has been assumed that Burton found the censer in the monastic cemetery west of the monastery, as he records taking five skulls from this place for analysis in London. In actual fact he is coy about how he actually found the censer and so this theory is not supported by his personal account of events. He merely says:" I managed here to secure an interesting 'Mabkhara' a brass thurible for burning incense, whose art shows the extreme quaintness." On Burton's return to Britain in 1872 the censer was exhibited at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries in London. At this meeting Burton reported to the assembly that the object had already been acquired by the British Museum, where it has remained ever since.
The censer is made of bronze and has chains of twisted copper wire. It has been cast with relief scenes from the life of Christ both in a frieze around the object and beneath it. The base also has an attractive floral pattern that was incised after casting. This kind of metal artifact is relatively rare as very few liturgical objects have survived in this region.
The most notable exception is the Resafa treasure, a chalice and other silverware discovered in the basilica at Resafa, the center of the cult of St. Sergius. In this case there is no direct comparison as the Resafa finds are presumed to be somewhat later dating from the Crusader period. They are also a hybrid of Frankish and local forms which are not comparable with the regional idiom of the Mar Musa censer.
In 1904, an article was published in Echos d' Orient by St. Petrides describing a censer in a private collection. This censer was reportedly from Midyat in the Tur' Abdin and was cast in bronze with scenes of the life of Christ. There are striking parallels between this Midyat censer and the Mar Musa censer.
Both are cast in an attractive but relatively simple and naive style that suggests a provincial origin and both employ similar iconography. The Mar Musa censer can be used as a pictorial guide to the life of Christ beginning with the Annunciation. This is followed by the Nativity, the Baptism of Christ, the Crucifixion and finally the women at the Sepulcher. The base has an image of the enthroned Virgin that would have been visible to the faithful as the priest swung the censer in their direction. The Midyat censer has the same iconography with the exception of an extra scene, that of the Visitation of Elizabeth interested between the Annunciation and the Nativity. It also lacks an image underneath.
Given that historically Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi was the most southerly monastery of the Syrian rite, lying as it did on the liturgical faultline that divided the Syrian from the Byzantine liturgical traditions, it seems entirely probable that the object was indeed from the north. How and why it was taken to Deir Mar Musa will never be known. Perhaps as a gift from a passing pilgrim or as payment for a manuscript as there is some evidence that Deir Mar Musa once had a relatively active scriptorium. However this is mere speculation and the exact date and provenance of the censer will never be known. All can be said that it is possible that the object was in use in Deir Mar Musa for over a thousand years before it was lost and rediscovered by Burton. As such it has a particular significance for the contemporary community resident at the monastery and for all those interested in the art and archaeology of Syria.