Accompanied by an Israeli export license, a rare Yemeni incense burner will be offered for sale at an auction in London in early March

Yemeni archaeologist Abdullah Mohsen revealed on Wednesday that a rare bronze incense burner from ancient Yemen will be offered for sale at an auction in the British capital, London, in early March.

Mohsen said in a post on Facebook that a rare bronze incense burner from Yemen, made at least 2,600 years ago, is on sale on March 4 at the British Timeline auction, accompanied by an Israeli export license.

He added that the Yemeni masterpiece (28 cm high and weighing approximately 9 kg, in the shape of a bowl with a raised rim part crowned with spikes decorated with concentric rings; surrounded by two large bird-shaped supports, each with a long wing curved to the outer side of the bowl and legs placed one in front of the other in an advanced position; the face is decorated with a raised text in Musnad script intersected by a quadruped and a long tail, perhaps a lion, standing on its hind legs).

The British auction expert believes that "the drawn animals do not fit any common ancient Yemeni models, and are probably based on an interpretation of foreign designs."

Researcher Mohsen pointed out that archaeologists Sabina Antonini de Maigret, an Italian, and Christian Julien Robin, a Frenchman, described the masterpiece in a study published in 2023 as: “An unusual bronze incense burner due to its completely innovative composition: two ostriches carrying with their bodies and open wings the burner in which the incense (resin) was burned.”

They added that the inscription on it explains “the name of the god to whom this thing was dedicated, which is Athtar Dhu Jarab,” and also indirectly explains the region of its origin, which is “Al-Sawda, ancient Nishan, in Al-Jawf, Yemen.”

The Yemeni researcher pointed out that the incense burner was previously part of the private collection of antiquities collector Shlomo Moussaieff, and was sold to the current owner on May 18, 2021, accompanied by an Israeli export license.

He noted that the British auction site Timeline indicates its commitment to "a rigorous examination process to ensure the authenticity and legitimacy of all items. Each piece is subject to a comprehensive examination by an examination committee that includes no less than ten external specialists, members of a professional trade association, scientists and archaeologists at the auction."