Object Details
Label
One of the earliest and most enduring of the royal images created during the Sasanian period (ca. 224-651) shows the king on horseback hunting select quarry: boar, lion, antelope (or gazelle). This image, often embellished with gilding, was depicted on the interior of silver plates, about thirty of which have been found in Iran and neighboring countries. Produced in imperial workshops, these plates were given as official gifts from the king to high-ranking individuals within or beyond the empire's frontiers. In the early centuries of Sasanian rule, silver production was controlled by a royal monopoly and could be minted into coins or fashioned into objects only on the king's authority.
Although the royal figures on the plates are not labeled, they can sometimes be identified by their crowns, which are sometimes also shown on coin portraits of individual Sasanian kings. The figure on this plate is generally identified as Shapur II (reigned 309-79).
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)
Ancient Art of the Near East (November 21, 2009 to December 1, 2011)
Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)
The Heroic Past: The Persian Book of Kings (June 4 to October 29, 2000)
Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires (May 9, 1993 to January 28, 2007)
Ancient Near Eastern Metalware (December 18, 1984 to February 24, 1986)
Pre-Islamic Metalwork from the Near East (April 15, 1983 to April 4, 1984)
Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)
Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)
2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Metalwork (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)
Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Metalwork (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)
Special Exhibition Afghanistan (September 3, 1963 to June 5, 1964)
Near Eastern Art (January 1, 1963 to August 18, 1967)
Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)
Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1955 (April 12, 1955 to December 16, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, Armenian Manuscripts, Gallery 6, 1947 (April 23 to October 3, 1947)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Near Eastern Art, 1947 (June 18, 1947 to October 26, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)
Untitled Exhibition, Persian and Near Eastern Art (May 5, 1933 to September 24, 1947)
Untitled Exhibition, Persian Manuscripts (May 5, 1933 to September 22, 1947)
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
4th century
Period
Sasanian period, Reign of Shapur II
Accession Number
F1934.23
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Silver and gilt
Dimensions
H x Diam: 5 x 24 cm (1 15/16 x 9 7/16 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
portrait
hunting
boar
horse
Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)
Iran
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1934.23