Collection Highlights: Ancient Near Eastern Art

499-400 B.C.E.
Achaemenid period
Reign of Artaxerxes I (465-425 B.C.E.)
Silver
Iran
Purchase F1974.30

On the rim of this bowl is an inscription in Old Persian cuneiform, which names the Achaemenid Persian king Artaxerxes I (reigned 465–425 B.C.E.). The inscription has been translated as: "Artaxerxes the Great King, King of Kings, King of Countries, son of Xerxes the King, of Xerxes [who was] son of Darius the king; in whose royal house this silver saucer was made." Shallow bowls of this form, used for drinking wine, were made from various materials, including metal, glass, and ceramic. Royal vessels made of precious metal, like this one, were versatile forms of wealth; they could serve as royal tableware, be stored in the treasury, or be given away as gifts.

1st century B.C.E.-1st century C.E.
Parthian period
Silver and gilt
H: 23.5 W: 12.4 D: 30.4 cm
Iran
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler S1987.131

Drinking vessels with a tall horn joined to the protome (forepart) of a lynx, panther, or lion, are sometimes depicted in Hellenistic and Roman art. They are usually identified as objects used in celebrating the cult of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and ecstatic experience, which spread over a wide area of the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia.

4th century
Sasanian period
Silver and gilt
H: 15.5 W: 25.4 D: 14.1 cm
Iran or Afghanistan
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler S1987.33

Vessels made entirely or in part in the shape of an animal, in both metal and ceramic versions, have a long history in ancient Iran. Only a few examples of this vessel type, however, have surfaced among artifacts of the Sasanian period (ca. 224–651). Chiefly influenced by Roman and Byzantine prototypes and to some extent by Central Asian styles, Sasanian silver plate seldom drew on traditional Iranian vessel forms. Horned animals, such as the ram and this gazelle, appear as quarry on some of the Sasanian silver and gilt plates depicting a royal hunt. With its animal-shaped protome (forepart) joined to a compact horn and furnished with a spout through the animal's mouth, this is an extremely rare example dating from the Sasanian period. This type of vessel embodies an important image and concept: a special liquid, probably wine, was contained in and dispensed from the mouth of an animal that itself held powerful, royal connotations.

ca. 1400-800 B.C.E.
Iron Age I - II
Earthenware
H: 17.4 W: 37.7 D: 19.7 cm
North, North Iran
Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge S1998.23

With its arresting form, high technical quality, and simple, elegant surface decoration, this jar exemplifies many of the most distinctive features of ancient Iranian ceramics. Superb testimony to the skill of ancient Iranian potters, these vessels often evoke in whimsical fashion the forms and features of birds and other animals.