A PAIR OF SILVER INCENSE BURNERS WITH CHRISTIAN PRAYERS AND CHERUBS
Greece, Western Ottoman Provinces, 19th century

Each of hemispherical shape, the thin sheet of silver chased in relief in the centre with a cherub's face and three sets of wings, below the rim a continuous epigraphic inscription in Greek characters delivering a Christian liturgy hymn (επινικειος υμνος) from the Old Testament (Isaiah 6:3), set against a hatched ground and within a beaded frame, each burner pierced three times around the rim and hanging from thin chainlets, each 11.5cm diam., 280gr.

Inscription: Άγιος Άγιος Άγιος Κύριος Σαβαωθ, πλήρης ο ουρανός και η γη της δόξης σου.

Translation: Holy Holy Holy Lord of Sabaoth, Heaven and Earth are full of your Glory!

In Greek, the word sabaoth (Σαβαώθ) is an epithet only found in the Old Testament, and it is often used to refer to the Armed Forces or the Military (Modern Greek: Κύριε των Δυνάμεων), indicating perhaps that these incense burners could have been an ex-voto or donation from a member of the Greek military, who played an instrumental role in the War of Independence and subsequent battles to free the country from the Ottoman domination.