Quick Specs
- Type: Stick incense holder
- Size: 5 inches
- Design: Open-jawed skull with a cross above it, ribbon banners, and layered feathers
- Finish: Antiqued copper and gold tones with teal-green in the recesses
- Outline: Pointed feather edge
An Open-Jawed Skull in a Fan of Gold Feathers
A skull with an open jaw sits at the center of a fan of feathers. The eye sockets are rimmed in teal, the brow ridge is angular, and the jaw hangs open on a row of teeth and a dark mouth. Around it, layers of feathers radiate outward in tiers and end in pointed tips along the outer edge, which gives the piece a spiky, sunburst outline, like a pair of wings opened around the head. Above the skull rises a cross with scrolled arms, ornamented with circles and swirls and topped by a finial, and a ribbon banner wraps across it. A second banner curls beneath the jaw, with scroll ornaments at its ends. The finish is antiqued gold, shading toward copper in places, and teal-green is worked into the recesses, so the feather ridges, the scrollwork, and the folds of the banners all gain depth. The holder measures 5 inches.
Skulls in art have a long job: they remind the viewer of death. Memento mori is Latin for remember you must die, and the most common motif is a skull, often accompanied by bones. Christian use gave the theme a moral purpose, since the prospect of death emphasizes the emptiness and fleetingness of earthly pleasures. In the fifteenth century the theme became fashionable on the tombs of the wealthy, and later Puritan tombstones in the colonial United States frequently showed winged skulls, skeletons, or angels snuffing out candles. A skull ringed by feathers echoes those winged skulls, and this holder adds antiqued metal tones and scrolled ornament to the form. As a decorative piece, it sits between sticks as a dark, detailed sculpture on a shelf, a desk, or an altar. Vanitas paintings made the same point with piles of symbols, conveying the impermanence of human endeavors, and a single skull relief says it with one image.
Practical Ritual Applications
Seat a stick of incense in the holder and set it on a flat surface with a little clear space around it, ideally on a tile or a plate. The gold and teal finish looks best against black, deep red, or dark wood, and the ridges of the feathers catch candlelight from the side. A gothic corner suits it: a bookshelf with old volumes, a mantel with candles, or an altar with a few dark pieces. When no incense is burning, the skull and feathers stay on display as relief decor, and the open jaw and the teal-rimmed sockets give the face a dramatic look in raking light. A black stand or a dark tray beneath it adds a frame. For more holders in this vein, see my stick incense burner collection.
How to Burn Stick Incense in the Gothic Cross Skull Holder
Find a clear spot, light the stick, and let the holder cool before you handle it.
- Find a Level, Clear Spot
Set the holder on a flat, heat-resistant surface such as a ceramic tile or a metal plate, with nothing flammable nearby. Fire services advise keeping burning incense away from curtains, clothes, paper, and other things that burn, and out of reach of children and pets.
- Light the Stick and Watch It
Place the stick in the holder, hold a flame to the tip until it glows, then shake the flame out. Stay in the room while it burns, since fire services advise never leaving burning incense unattended. Choose a stick whose scent you enjoy and let it burn down.
- Let Everything Cool
Make sure the stick is completely out before you leave the room or go to bed. Incense ash and holders may stay hot after use, so wait until the holder is cool before you pick it up, and clear the ash once it is cold.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this holder because the skull, the cross, the banners, and the feathers are all modeled in layered relief on a 5 inch antiqued gold piece, and the teal worked into the recesses makes the detail easy to follow. It suits a gothic shelf or a darker altar, and it burns stick incense. The open jaw, the cross, and the fan of feathers all read clearly from a few feet away. If you are putting together a corner in this style, browse my home decor collection for other decor to set around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The danse macabre, or Dance of Death, is a Late Middle Ages artistic genre in which Death, or a personification of it, summons people of every rank toward the grave. The earliest recorded example is a lost mural at the Holy Innocents' Cemetery in Paris, painted in 1424 to 1425. Painted versions often show skeletons taking the living by the hand. It served as a memento mori, a reminder of life's fragility.
A supporting core of bamboo is coated with a thick layer of incense material that burns away with the core. Higher-quality variations have fragrant sandalwood cores, and this type of incense is commonly produced in India and China. It is called direct-burning or combustible incense because it is lit directly by a flame, and sticks may be called joss sticks in parts of East, South, and Southeast Asia.
No. Fire services advise never leaving burning incense unattended, and they say to make sure incense is completely extinguished before leaving the room or going to bed. Incense ash and holders may remain hot after use, and burning incense should stay out of the reach of children and pets and away from curtains, clothes, paper, and other flammable materials.
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