Bowl

Outside plain and without foot, fluted on the side walls of the interior up to gilded center medallion with bearded male bust rising out of a leafy calyx. Corrosion covering the upper parts of the walls, partly cleaned in the center sections.

Historical period(s)
Sasanian period, 3rd century
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x Diam (overall): 21 x 6.2 cm (8 1/4 x 2 7/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1957.20
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
Iran, portrait, ruler, Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Outside plain and without foot, fluted on the side walls of the interior up to gilded center medallion with bearded male bust rising out of a leafy calyx. Corrosion covering the upper parts of the walls, partly cleaned in the center sections.

Label

This simple but elegant vessel is among the earliest known Sasanian examples in silver. Allegedly found in the city of Kermanshah in northwestern Iran, it depicts the profile bust of a bearded man set on acanthus leaves. His dense curly hair and diadem indicate he is a member of Sasanian nobility. (A ruler would have worn a crown.) The design recalls Roman portrait medallions that rise from stylized calyx leaves.

Published References
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Ernst Kuhnel. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 6 vols., London and New York, 1938 - 1939. vol. 14: p. 3062, pl. 1496.
  • Prudence Oliver Harper. Silver Vessels of the Sasanian Period. New York. vol. 1: p. 166, pl. 4.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 45.
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Archibald Gibson Wenley. Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst: Festschrift fur Ernst Kuhnel. Berlin. p. 12, figs. 1 a and b.
  • Ann C. Gunter, Paul Jett. Ancient Iranian Metalwork in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington and Mainz, Germany, 1992. cat. 24, pp. 41.
  • Near Eastern Numismatics, Iconography, Epigraphy, and History: Studies in Honor of George C. Miles. Beirut. pp. 65, 71-72.
  • W. Thomas Chase. The Technical Examination of Two Sasanian Plates. vol. 7 Washington and Ann Arbor. p. 81, fig. 9.
  • Richard N. Frye. A Parthian Silver Bowl. vol. 17 Washington and Zurich, 1954. p. 144.
  • Ecclesiastical Silver Plate in Sixth-Century Byzantium Vessels: Papers of the Symposium held May 16-18, 1986 at the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. Washington. pp. 147-53.
  • Michael Vickers. Metrological Reflections: Attic, Hellenistic, Parthian and Sasanian Gold and Silver Plate. vol. 24, no. 2 Paris. pp. 163-85.
  • Boris I. Marshak. Silberschatze des Orients: Metallkunst des 3-13 Jahrhunderts und ihre Kontinuitat. Leipzig. p. 257.
  • Arthur John Arberry. The Legacy of Persia [A Review]. no. 17, no. 1/2, June 1954. p. 288.
  • Daniel T. Potts, Kate Masia-Redford. Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford handbooks Oxford, New York. p. 922, fig. 48.1.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use