{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.incense-boat","code":"thing-q1647511","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1647511/","name":"incense boat","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An incense boat is a small liturgical vessel used to hold unburnt incense, usually with a spoon for transferring it to a thurible during worship.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise an incense boat, assess its readiness to hold and dispense unburnt incense, and determine appropriate handling or conservation actions.","scope":{"in":["Identification as a receptacle for incense awaiting transfer to a censer","Body, compartment, cover, supports and spoon accommodation where present","Incense capacity, remaining contents and accessibility for dispensing","Handling during presentation, carrying and replenishment","Condition of incense-contact surfaces and working parts","Evidence supporting liturgical identity and suitability for continued use"],"out":["Censers and thuribles that burn incense","Incense sticks, resins, mixtures and their chemical or devotional properties","Incense spoons as independently modelled utensils","Ritual sequences and responsibilities of officiants or boat bearers","Boat-shaped incense burners and ash-catching stick holders","Manufacturer product ranges and collection-management systems"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Its established function is to contain unburnt incense for transfer into a separate censer; the V&A describes this storage-and-transfer relationship in its [incense boat caption](https://media.vam.ac.uk/media/documents/gallery_text_writing_guide_updated.pdf).","A boat-like silhouette supports identification but cannot alone distinguish the vessel from a salt cellar, sauce boat or decorative miniature.","An incense spoon association supports the identification when backed by documentation; a documented example is the Met's [incense boat and spoon](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/236950).","A design intended to support burning sticks, retain hot coals or collect combustion ash indicates a neighbouring burner or holder category rather than this model."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"incense-boat-identity","name":"Incense boat identity","description":"Establish whether the object belongs to the registered liturgical receptacle kind.","layers":[{"id":"storage-before-burning","name":"Storage before burning","description":"Identify the boat's role upstream of a separate incense-burning vessel.","findings":[{"id":"unburnt-incense-receptacle","name":"Unburnt incense receptacle","description":"The defining functional relationship is holding incense before it is spooned into a censer, as described in the [V&A caption](https://media.vam.ac.uk/media/documents/gallery_text_writing_guide_updated.pdf).","questions":[{"text":"What evidence establishes that this vessel held incense awaiting transfer to a censer?","id":"unburnt-incense-receptacle-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Does the object instead have an intended combustion or ash-collection function?","id":"unburnt-incense-receptacle-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"identification-evidence","name":"Identification evidence","description":"Separate supported attribution from visual resemblance.","findings":[{"id":"form-and-documented-use","name":"Form and documented use","description":"Record the relationship between physical form, catalogue attribution and evidence of liturgical use without treating any single decorative feature as decisive.","questions":[{"text":"Which inventory, catalogue, inscription or use record identifies the object as an incense boat?","id":"form-and-documented-use-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What evidence distinguishes it from a salt cellar, sauce boat or ornamental vessel?","id":"form-and-documented-use-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"incense-containment","name":"Incense containment","description":"Describe the compartment that receives incense and the means of retaining it.","layers":[{"id":"compartment-and-fill","name":"Compartment and fill","description":"Establish usable storage space for the intended incense.","findings":[{"id":"usable-fill-level","name":"Usable fill level","description":"Record a fill level that permits closing and spoon access, distinguishing it from brimful geometric volume.","questions":[{"text":"What volume in mL can be held at the stated usable fill level?","id":"usable-fill-level-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Do internal divisions, shallow ends or projections restrict loading and spoon access?","id":"usable-fill-level-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"cover-and-retention","name":"Cover and retention","description":"Assess how incense stays inside when the vessel is closed or carried.","findings":[{"id":"closure-behaviour","name":"Closure behaviour","description":"Record the actual cover arrangement and retention behaviour without assuming a cover is present or a closure is sealed.","questions":[{"text":"Which parts open, and is an absent cover intentional, missing or undocumented?","id":"closure-behaviour-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Can the cover close at the intended fill level without trapping incense or opening unintentionally?","id":"closure-behaviour-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Are there gaps, failed seams or deformations through which the intended incense could escape?","id":"closure-behaviour-q03","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"spoon-and-censer-transfer","name":"Spoon and censer transfer","description":"Model the boat's interfaces with a dispensing spoon and a separate censer.","layers":[{"id":"spoon-fit-and-association","name":"Spoon fit and association","description":"Separate physical compatibility from historical set membership.","findings":[{"id":"associated-spoon","name":"Associated spoon","description":"A boat and spoon can be documented as a set, as in the Met's [Benjamin Pyne example](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/236950); record that association separately from fit.","questions":[{"text":"Is the available spoon documented as original, later associated or a substitute?","id":"associated-spoon-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Can its bowl reach the usable compartment and pass through the opening without scraping?","id":"associated-spoon-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"dispensing-access","name":"Dispensing access","description":"Assess the boat's contribution to controlled incense transfer.","findings":[{"id":"accessible-incense-presentation","name":"Accessible incense presentation","description":"Record whether the boat can present an accessible incense compartment while remaining supported and clear of the receiving censer.","questions":[{"text":"What cover position and supporting grip allow the spoon to enter and withdraw?","id":"accessible-incense-presentation-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Do the rim, cover or ornaments obstruct transfer toward the receiving censer?","id":"accessible-incense-presentation-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What handling arrangement avoids bringing the boat or supporting hand into contact with the hot censer?","id":"accessible-incense-presentation-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"carrying-and-service-readiness","name":"Carrying and service readiness","description":"Determine whether the loaded boat can be presented and supplied for its intended service.","layers":[{"id":"support-during-presentation","name":"Support during presentation","description":"Examine support and handling with the cover and contents in their intended states.","findings":[{"id":"loaded-support","name":"Loaded support","description":"Assess the base and available grip surfaces under the actual loaded and open-cover configuration; decorative projections require evidence before being treated as handles.","questions":[{"text":"What is the loaded mass, including any spoon carried with the boat?","id":"loaded-support-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which parts can support the vessel during carrying without loading a fragile ornament or loose joint?","id":"loaded-support-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Does opening the cover compromise the boat's stability on its intended resting surface?","id":"loaded-support-q03","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"incense-supply-state","name":"Incense supply state","description":"Record contents and replenishment needs for a stated use.","findings":[{"id":"contents-ready-for-dispensing","name":"Contents ready for dispensing","description":"Readiness requires a recorded quantity and observable contents condition, with any required amount supplied by the intended service rather than assumed by this model.","questions":[{"text":"How much incense remains, and how was that quantity estimated or measured?","id":"contents-ready-for-dispensing-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Are the contents identified and free of visible foreign matter or clumping that obstructs dispensing?","id":"contents-ready-for-dispensing-q02","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Should the boat be replenished, emptied or withheld for the stated service requirement?","id":"contents-ready-for-dispensing-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"incense-contact-and-conservation","name":"Incense contact and conservation","description":"Assess material-specific condition and constraints on continued use.","layers":[{"id":"materials-and-contact-surfaces","name":"Materials and contact surfaces","description":"Identify the body and finishes, especially where incense and the spoon touch.","findings":[{"id":"material-specific-care","name":"Material-specific care","description":"Do not presume one material or treatment: documented examples include [silver](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/236950) and [enamel with gilded copper](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464007).","questions":[{"text":"What evidence identifies the substrate and each interior or exterior finish?","id":"material-specific-care-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Where are deposits, corrosion, exposed substrate or detached finish visible in the incense compartment?","id":"material-specific-care-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which documented care method is appropriate for these materials and the observed deposits?","id":"material-specific-care-q03","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"service-or-conservation","name":"Service or conservation","description":"Connect structural condition and custodial restrictions to permissible actions.","findings":[{"id":"continued-use-decision","name":"Continued-use decision","description":"Distinguish an operational incense boat from a historic example whose fragility or custodial status limits filling, opening, polishing or ritual use.","questions":[{"text":"Do loose hinges, cracked seams, unstable supports or sharp damage prevent filling and presentation?","id":"continued-use-decision-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"What repairs or replacements affect confidence in the cover, support or spoon association?","id":"continued-use-decision-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does the custodian permit active use, or must handling follow a conservation-only plan?","id":"continued-use-decision-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of incense boat this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe an incense boat and its liturgical use from the traditions that use it.","Catalogue boats held in church or museum collections with provenance."],"mustNot":["Handle or move a consecrated vessel in a way its community forbids.","Help sell church plate taken without the authority of its owner.","Mock or misrepresent the rite in which it is used."],"requiresHuman":["Deaccessioning, selling or lending a liturgical vessel."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Liturgical vessels are sacred to the communities that use them.","Church thefts strip parishes of heritage and are hard to reverse."],"affectedParties":["Worshipping communities","Clergy and sacristans","Collections"]},"owners":{"steward":"The church or religious community that owns it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q111514945","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q3348164","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q732177","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.incense-boat","Wikidata: Q1647511 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1647511)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Evidence for incense-boat identification: documented function | observed liturgical use | tentative attribution | disputed","Body and compartment arrangement: Recorded body shape, compartment count and internal obstructions","Cover arrangement: hinged | removable | other | absent by design | missing | unknown","Usable incense capacity: mL at a stated usable fill level; g only with the incense mixture identified","Incense remaining: g or estimated fraction of usable capacity, with measurement method","Spoon access clearance: mm of opening width and accessible depth, with cover position","Associated incense spoon: Linked utensil; documented original | later associated | operational substitute | absent | unknown","Body material and surface finish: Recorded substrate, lining, plating, gilding or enamel, with evidence and uncertainty","Loaded handling mass: g, stating whether cover, spoon and incense are included","Containment and access condition: Observed seam integrity, cover movement, closure security and spillage concerns","Use eligibility: service-ready | replenishment-needed | cleaning-needed | repair-needed | conservation-only | undetermined"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A small boat-shaped vessel, often of brass or silver, with a hinged lid.","Usually accompanied by a small spoon and carried beside a thurible."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identify a candidate vessel using its documented incense-storage function and dispensing features.","Assess whether the compartment and cover can retain the intended incense during handling.","Select a compatible incense spoon and check access without forcing or scratching the vessel.","Determine whether to replenish, empty or withdraw the boat before service.","Plan carrying and presentation using its loaded mass, support and opening arrangement.","Choose a documented cleaning or conservation pathway based on materials, deposits and use restrictions."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Silver and gilt boats are targets for theft."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, issued by the Holy See, governs the use of incense in the Roman Rite and describes the minister carrying the incense boat."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["An incense boat is used during Catholic worship to hold unburnt incense near the thurible.","It supports the ceremonial transfer of incense and is commonly kept with other liturgical vessels in the sacristy."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1647511: incense boat","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1647511","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia (de): Weihrauchschiffchen","url":"https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weihrauchschiffchen","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry intend only the liturgical incense receptacle, and which source establishes the boundary against commercially named boat-shaped incense burners?","Which non-boat-shaped, uncovered or spoonless variants are documented as incense boats within relevant traditions?","Which tradition-specific rules, if any, govern materials, preparation, handling or eligibility for liturgical use?","What representative evidence supports capacity, dimensions and loaded-mass ranges across historical and contemporary examples?","Which material-specific guidance establishes suitable removal of incense residues without damaging finishes or compromising future use?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1647511/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1647511/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T10:27:39Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-08T19:09:48+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}