Lid

Historical period(s)
Sasanian period, 6th-7th century
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x W x D: 1.3 x 12.4 x 12.4 cm (1/2 x 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.107
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Classification(s)
Metalwork
Type

Lid

Keywords
dog, duck, Iran, riveting, Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Vine scrolls and trees inhabited by birds and animals decorate this luxury object, which was probably made in Iran during the Sasanian period (ca. 224–651). Such motifs are shared by European, Chinese, and Central Asian art of the first millennium. The complex but orderly and balanced arrangement of the ornament is characteristic of Sasanian art.

Published References
  • Art Gallery of New South Wales. Silk Road Saga: The Sarcophagus of Yu Hong. p. 17.
  • 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. 39, p. 47.
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 24, p. 54.
  • Prudence Oliver Harper. The Royal Hunter: The Art of the Sasanian Empire. Exh. cat. New York. cat. 19, p. 62.
  • 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.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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