Namur 1949–1965, Solid Silver, Louis Stokart, Incense Burner

Modernist incense burner in hammered silver
Namur, circa 1950–1965
Louis-Philippe Marie Ghislain Stokart
850/1000 sterling silver

A hammered solid silver incense burner, whose sleek silhouette echoes the traditional shape of a boat. Its elongated body, with rounded ends, rests on a flared, truncated-cone-shaped circular base. The hammered finish of the body creates a surface of irregular reflections, contrasting with the smooth parts of the lid.

The lid consists of a fixed section, featuring a vertical grip ring and adorned with a deep blue cabochon set in a closed setting, as well as a movable flap hinged on a transverse hinge. A curved tab extending from the end of the flap allows it to be opened. The balance of volumes, the simplicity of the lines, and the decoration reduced to this single colorful accent characterize the modernist aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s.

Intended for the use of incense in the Catholic liturgy, the navette holds grains of incense that are scooped up with a spoon and then placed on the burning coals of the censer, particularly during Mass.

The piece bears the hallmark of the Namur silversmith Louis-Philippe Marie Ghislain Stokart, featuring a motif of a bridge and architectural elements, as well as the 850 fineness mark, indicating 850-th of a thousand silver. The master’s hallmark is recorded from October 20, 1949, to around 1965, a period consistent with the stylistic characteristics of this navette.

A third hallmark depicts a lion surmounted by the Burgundian flint, a motif associated with the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece. This mark draws inspiration from the old Namur hallmarks, which combined the lion with the flint, and later with the double flint, during the Ancien Régime. It thus places this 20th-century creation within the tradition of Namur goldsmithing. (amis-hotel-groesbeeck-croix.be⁠)