1st–2nd century AD. A large rectangular incense shovel with shallow pan, the long edges with raised foliate decoration; U-section handle with ram's head finial, the other end with a superb theatrical mask of Silenus. See Yadin, Y., ‘The Finds from the Bar-Kokhba Period in the Cave of Letters’, in Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem, 1963, pp.48-60; Yadin, Y., Bar-Kokhba, The Rediscovery of the legendary Hero of the Second Jewish Revolt Against Rome, New York, 1971; Weitzmann, K., (ed.) Age of Spirituality, Late Antique and early Christian Art, third to Seventh Century, catalogue of the Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 19, 1977, Through February 12, 1978, New York, 1979, nos.342-343; Skupi?ska-Løvset, I., ‘Further Examples of Bronze Incense Shovels from Palestine’ in Études et Travaux XXII/2008, Warzawa, 2008, pp.215-223; similar specimen in the Metropolitan museum, accession number 00.13.7.2.2 kg, 35cm (13 3/4"). Property of an East Anglian collector; formerly acquired on the European art market in the 1990s; accompanied by an archaeological report by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato. The batillum was made specifically for ritual use of incense. As proposed by various scholars and as generally accepted these objects (batilla in Latin, mahtah in Hebrew) came from the Jewish tradition and used from the First Temple period to ritually sanctify the menorah. These objects were also used throughout the Graeco-Roman world. Another similar example is known from Pompeii (Yadin, 1963, pl.28"). The style seems to have spanned the eastern and central parts of the Roman Mediterranean.