Brazier

This article is about the container for fire. For other uses, see Brazier (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Brassiere or Brasserie.

Brazier with burning fire in a rune stone circle at a summer solstice

A brazier being used to grill chicken and steaks.

A brazier /ˈbreɪʒər/ is a container for hot coals, generally taking the form of an upright standing or hanging metal bowl or box. Used for burning solid fuel, usually charcoal, braziers principally provide heat, but may also be used for cooking and cultural rituals. Braziers have been recovered from many early archaeological sites like the Nimrud brazier, recently excavated by the Iraqi National Museum, which dates back to at least 824 BC.

History

Ancient Greek brazier and casserole, 6th/4th century BC, exhibited in the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens, housed in the Stoa of Attalus

Braziers are mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrew word for brazier is of Egyptian origin, suggesting that it was imported from Egypt. There are two references to it in the Bible. The first is found in Genesis 15:17, whereby God Himself sent and provided a "smoking brazier" for the sacrifice which Abram prepared. The second is in Jeremiah 36:22–23, with braziers heating the winter palace of King Jehoiakim.

The Roman Emperor Jovian was poisoned by the fumes from a brazier in his tent in 364, ending the line of Constantine.

Uses

Heating

Despite the risks associated with burning charcoal on open fires, braziers were widely adopted as a source of domestic heat, particularly in the Spanish-speaking world. Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl notes that the Tepanec Tlatoani in New Spain slept between two braziers because he was so old he produced no natural heat. Nineteenth century British travellers such as diplomat and scientist Woodbine Parish and the writer Richard Ford, author of A Handbook for Travellers in Spain, state that in many areas braziers were considered healthier than fireplaces and chimneys.

The brazier did not just sit out in the open, in a room; often it was incorporated into furniture. Many cultures developed their own variants of a low table, with a heat source underneath and blankets to capture the warmth: the kotatsu in Japan, the korsi in Iran, the sandali in Afghanistan, and the foot stove in northern Europe. In Spain the brasero continued to be one of the primary means of heating houses until the early 20th century; Gerald Brenan described in his memoir South from Granada the widespread habit there in the 1920s of placing a brazier beneath a cloth-covered table to keep the legs and feet of the family warm on winter evenings.

Scent

When burned, moist rose and grapevine trimmings produce a pungent, sweet-smelling smoke, and make very good charcoal. When the charcoal fumes became overbearing, however, aromatics (lavender seeds, orange peel) were sometimes added to the embers in the brazier. A brazier used exclusively for burning aromatics (incense) is known as a censer or thurible.

Other

In some churches a brazier is used to create a small fire, called new fire, which is then used to light the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil.

Braziers used to be a commonplace sight on industrial picket lines, although as strikes in the UK have become increasingly white collar, they are seen less and less.

In Japanese, a brazier is called a hibachi. They are used principally for cooking and in cultural rituals such as the Japanese tea ceremony.

Gallery

• 
  Simple Brazier
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  Pompeii, Italy. Table and small brazier to keep food warm. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection
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  Brazier
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  Brazier used for lighting the Paschal candle during Easter Vigil.

See also

• Angithi, a traditional Indian brazier
• Barbecue grill
• Chafing dish, a cooking implement
• Hibachi, a Japanese brazier
• List of cooking appliances
• Torch
• Cresset, a cup for burning oil
• Kanger, a traditional Kashmiri personal heating device