Plate

A shallow dish, standing on a foot rim. Silver. Dents in under surface. Decoration: executed in applied hollow relief; and engraving; gilded; haunch of one boar missing. Trace of dotted line inscription and scratches under foot.

2. For a detailed description see the conservation report dated 1/1/1953 by R. J. Gettens.

Historical period(s)
Sasanian period, Reign of Shapur II, 4th century
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x Diam: 5 x 24 cm (1 15/16 x 9 7/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1934.23
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Plate

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

A shallow dish, standing on a foot rim. Silver. Dents in under surface. Decoration: executed in applied hollow relief; and engraving; gilded; haunch of one boar missing. Trace of dotted line inscription and scratches under foot.

2. For a detailed description see the conservation report dated 1/1/1953 by R. J. Gettens.

Label

One of the earliest and most enduring of the royal images created during the Sasanian period (ca. 224-651) shows the king on horseback hunting select quarry: boar, lion, antelope (or gazelle). This image, often embellished with gilding, was depicted on the interior of silver plates, about thirty of which have been found in Iran and neighboring countries. Produced in imperial workshops, these plates were given as official gifts from the king to high-ranking individuals within or beyond the empire's frontiers. In the early centuries of Sasanian rule, silver production was controlled by a royal monopoly and could be minted into coins or fashioned into objects only on the king's authority.

Although the royal figures on the plates are not labeled, they can sometimes be identified by their crowns, which are sometimes also shown on coin portraits of individual Sasanian kings. The figure on this plate is generally identified as Shapur II (reigned 309-79).

Published References
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  • Ludolf Stephani. Compte-rendu de la Commission Imperiale archeologique pour l'annees 1878-1879. 22 vols., St. Petersburg. pl. 7, fig. 2.
  • Smithsonian Institution. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 1935. Washington, 1935-1936. appendix 3, pl. 1.
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  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 51.
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  • Ludolf Stephani, Grigori Stroganoff. Die Schlangen-Futterung der Orphischen Mysterien. St. Petersburg. cat. 9, p. 5.
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  • Ernst Herzfeld. Khusrau Parwez und der Taq-i-Vastan. vol. 9, no. 2 Berlin, June 1938. p. 129ff.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. The Arts of Iran at the Time of Avicenna: Société iranienne pour la conservation des monuments nationaux. vol. 4, Tehran. pp. 132-138, fig. 1.
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    Notice arche´ologique.
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Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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