Object Details
Label
Among the silver vessels made in Iran during the sixth and seventh centuries were pear-shaped vases and pouring vessels, or ewers, closely related in form and elaborate gilded decoration. The examples displayed here share the theme of females holding symbolic objects. The figures were modeled in part after Roman personifications of the Seasons and Months, and representations of female attendants in the cult of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and ecstatic experience.
Provenance
To 1967
R. & D. Anavian, Tehran, Iran [1]
From 1967 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, purchased from R. & D. Anavian on May 2, 1967 [1]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York [2]
Notes:
[1] See invoice for purchase dated May 2, 1967 in object file, Collections Management.
[2] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World (April 6, 2022 to August 8, 2022)
Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)
The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)
The Heroic Past: The Persian Book of Kings (June 4 to October 29, 2000)
America's Smithsonian (February 9 to August 26, 1997)
Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)
Previous custodian or owner
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
R. & D. Anavian
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Date
6th-7th century
Period
Sasanian period
Accession Number
S1987.118a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 32.5 x 15.2 x 12.3 cm (12 13/16 x 6 x 4 13/16 in)
Origin
Iran
On View
East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
gilding
chasing
repoussé
hammering
metal
silver
bird
peacock
flower
child
fruit
woman
Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Iran
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1987.118a-b