Object Details
Description
Exterior plain. Interior is decorated with repoussé pattern of vases and grapevines. The central and side lobes are gilded on the interior. Weight: 202.9 g.
Label
Wine bowls of elliptical shape formed an important category of silver vessels made in Iran and its neighbors during the sixth and seventh centuries. These bowls were often decorated with images of tigers, panthers, or vegetation. Such imagery was associated with the Greek god Dionysos, whose cult spread over a wide area of the eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia.
Provenance
?-1967
Farhadi and Anavian Co. (active early 1960s-1973), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [1]
1967-1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), purchased from Farhadi and Anavian Co. in New York, NY [2]
From 1987
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [3]
Notes:
[1] See the receipt from Farhadi and Anavian Co. to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, dated June 15, 1967, copy in object file. This object is listed as the Farhadi and Anavian Co. object number 30. On the receipt the object is described as, “Sasanian Silver Gilded Dish Banana Shape.” The Dr. Arthur M. Sackler object number inscribed on the receipt is S-263 (S stands for Silver).
Farhadi and Anavian Co. (active early 1960s-1973) in New York, NY, was an importer
and dealer of Islamic and southwest Asian art including ceramics, metalworks, sculptures, and archaeological objects. The Iranian dealers, Nourollah "Nuri" Farhadi (1903-1994) and Habib Anavian (1915-1995) established the firm in the early 1960s. In the 1970s, Anavian left the firm to establish his own business, Habib Anavian Galleries, Ltd. (active 1973-1993), in New York, NY. Clients of Farhadi and Anavian Co. included private collectors and he successfully placed works in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
[2] See note 1. 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. This work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.
Research updated June 7, 2024
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
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)
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
7th century
Period
Sasanian period
Accession Number
S1987.116
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 4.5 x 19.2 x 12.8 cm (1 3/4 x 7 9/16 x 5 1/16 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
gilding
repoussé
hammering
metal
silver
Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Iran
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1987.116