Object Details
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.
Provenance
?-1972
Farhadi and Anavian Co., New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]
1972-1987
Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), method of acquisition unknown [2]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler [3]
Notes:
[1] See object file for copy of Sackler collection inventory sheet for object 72.9.4/S-262. The inventory sheet indicates this object was acquired from the dealers Farhadi and/or Anavian Co.: "Dealer’s Number: Farhadi and Anavian 29.”
Farhadi and Anavian Co. was a New York City art and antiquities gallery founded in the early 1960s by dealers Nourollah “Nuri” Farhadi (1903-1994) and Habib Anavian (1915-1995). By 1976, the partners had engaged in a legal dispute, which may have marked the end of Farhadi and Anavian Co.
[2] See Prudence Oliver Harper, “The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire” [exhibition catalog] (New York: The Asia Society, Inc., Winter 1978), p. 62; cat. 19. The object was attributed to The Arthur M. Sackler Collections. The Sackler collection number, 72.9.4, indicates the object was acquired by 1972.
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler was a physician, medical publisher, pharmaceutical marketer, and collector of Asian art.
[3] Pursuant to the agreement between 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.
Research updated November 16, 2023
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)
Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires (May 9, 1993 to January 28, 2007)
Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)
The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire (Winter 1978)
Previous custodian or owner
Farhadi and Anavian Co. (active early 1960s-1973)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Date
6th-7th century
Period
Sasanian period
Accession Number
S1987.107
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
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)
Origin
Iran
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
riveting
gilding
chasing
hammering
carving
inlay (process)
metal
silver
duck
dog
Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Iran
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1987.107