Incense Burner Shaped as a Comic Actor Seated on an Altar

An actor sitting upon an altar decorated with erotes and garlands forms the body of this thymiaterion or incense burner. He wears the typical costume and mask of a Greek New Comedy slave, with its rolled hairstyle, snub nose, and wide open mouth. The figure's eyes are inlaid with silver and his left hand is pierced to hold a detachable object, probably a wig. Depictions of actors sitting on altars are found in both Hellenistic and Roman art, and some scholars have suggested that these may allude to a specific scene in an unidentified play. The top of the altar pivots open to allow incense to be put inside, and the bottom has air holes to facilitate the burning. The smoke from the incense would have risen through the actor's hollow body and issued from his mouth.