Plate

From a line about 1 cm. above the foot ring, extending to the rim, the exterior of the plate is vertically fluted, the fluting radiating from base to rim. A second concentric gilded band encircles most of the plate interior, which is almost entirely finished with a honeycombed surface. In the center a small medallion, defined by a gilded band, encloses a recumbent ram or wild sheep shown in profile facing right, carved in low relief.

Weight: 489.6 g.

Historical period(s)
Sasanian period, 600-700
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3.7 x 20.5 x 20.5 cm (1 7/16 x 8 1/16 x 8 1/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.125
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Plate

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

From a line about 1 cm. above the foot ring, extending to the rim, the exterior of the plate is vertically fluted, the fluting radiating from base to rim. A second concentric gilded band encircles most of the plate interior, which is almost entirely finished with a honeycombed surface. In the center a small medallion, defined by a gilded band, encloses a recumbent ram or wild sheep shown in profile facing right, carved in low relief.

Weight: 489.6 g.

Inscription(s)

Within ring foot, inscription in Middle Persian, giving the name of the owner and the weight of the vessel: "zwlp'n S 30 W ZWZN 2, "Zurwan/Zorban, 30 staters and 3 drahms." The reading and translation of the inscription were made by Philippe Gignoux, École Practique des Haute Études, Paris, in a letter dated 5 September 1990.

Published References
  • Francoise Demange. Les Perses sassanides: fastes d'un empire oublie (224 - 642). Paris. cat. 54, p. 113.
  • 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. 21, pp. 142-44.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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