Object Details
Description
Beaker with flat base, plain relief band around circumference of base. Bent at base and around rim; a few cracks along rim. Base decorated with engraved pattern of twelve radiating petals, each with doubled incised outline, from center formed by concentric circles. Sharply everted, flangelike rim.
Just above base and just below rim, bands decorated with guilloche pattern formed by multiple incised lines. On body of beaker, framed by guilloche: bands in relief arranged in torsional pattern. Plain bands alternate with guilloche; next to one of the guilloche bands, an incised geometric pattern.
Label
Beakers of this shape, made of gold or silver, are best attested among the finds attributed to the Marlik culture, which flourished in the southwest Caspian region of northern Iran from around 1400 to 1000 B.C.E. This example shares with the Marlik beakers a rosette pattern on the base and guilloche bands at top and bottom of the vessel. The torsional relief bands that decorate the body are unusual, perhaps suggesting that the vessel belongs to a related but separate regional style or workshop.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
Metalwork and Ceramics from Ancient Iran (November 19, 1992 to January 22, 2004)
Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Date
ca. 1200-900 BCE
Period
Iron Age I - II
Accession Number
S1987.132
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
H x W x D: 12.8 x 8 x 8 cm (5 1/16 x 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 in)
Origin
Northwest Iran
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
chasing
repoussé
hammering
metal
silver
Iron Age I (ca. 1450 - 1250 BCE)
Iron Age II (ca. 1250 - 800 BCE)
Iran
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1987.132