Plate

Plate with low ring foot. Exterior plain. Weight: 441.4 gm.

Interior, engraved and spot-gilded design of royal figure on horseback, moving to right, hunting with bow and arrow two ibexes; one ibex to right of horse, the other below horse. Stylized landscape element below horse.

The hunter’s headdress consists of a mural crown with front crescent, topped by a globe, an arrangement that does not correspond to any crowns depicted on Sasanian coins. A similar headdress, but lacking the front crescent, is shown on the coins of several kings of the late Sasanian period: Peroz (459-484), Kavad (488-531), Khosro I (531-579), Hormizd (279-590), Bahram VI (590-591), Khosro II (591-628), and Kavad II (628).

Historical period(s)
Sasanian period, 600-800
Medium
Silver and gold
Dimensions
H x Diam (overall): 4.2 x 20.7 cm (1 5/8 x 8 1/8 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.109
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Plate

Keywords
equestrian, horse, hunting, ibex, Iran, landscape, Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Plate with low ring foot. Exterior plain. Weight: 441.4 gm.

Interior, engraved and spot-gilded design of royal figure on horseback, moving to right, hunting with bow and arrow two ibexes; one ibex to right of horse, the other below horse. Stylized landscape element below horse.

The hunter's headdress consists of a mural crown with front crescent, topped by a globe, an arrangement that does not correspond to any crowns depicted on Sasanian coins. A similar headdress, but lacking the front crescent, is shown on the coins of several kings of the late Sasanian period: Peroz (459-484), Kavad (488-531), Khosro I (531-579), Hormizd (279-590), Bahram VI (590-591), Khosro II (591-628), and Kavad II (628).

Published References
  • 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. 15, pp. 118-20.
  • The Fascination of Persia: The Persian-European Dialogue in Seventeenth-Century Art & Contemporary Art of Teheran. Exh. cat. Zürich. Cat. 123, p. 226.
  • Daniel T. Potts, Kate Masia-Redford. Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford handbooks Oxford, New York. pp. 920-942.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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