Heartshaped gold ornament

Historical period(s)
Parthian period, 2nd century BCE - 2nd century CE
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 5.3 x 5 x 1 cm (2 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 3/8 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1961.22
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jewelry and Ornament, Metalwork
Type

Ornament

Keywords
beaded wire, boar, Iran, Parthian period (247 BCE - 224 CE)
Provenance

Possibly excavated in Rudbar, Iran [1]

To 1961
K. Rabenou, New York, New York. [2]

From 1961
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from K. Rabenou, New York, New York. [3]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

[3] See note 2.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

K. Rabenou

Label

Ten small loops on the back of this ornament allowed it to be sewn onto a garment. The naturalistic form of the two boars is modeled in high relief. Minute amounts of silver and copper color the nearly pure gold. A filling of pitch preserves the shape of the extremely thin gold sheet.

Published References
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 42.
  • 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. 12, pp. 35.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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