Elliptical bowl

Object Details

• Description

  Hammered, repousse, and chased.

  This dish is composed of a series of gilded repousse designs with engraved details originating around a central unit of four long-legged birds whose heads adjoin each other.Six birds with long curving tails and short bodies enclosed by medallions surround this central unit. In the corners of the dish are four more birds of similar design to the ones in the central unit. A series of lines made up of small "dots" divides the dish into 19 diamond-shaped compartments. Floral motifs punctuate the compartments around the birds.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Silk Road Exhibition (August 18 to December 25, 2011)

  Ancient Art of the Near East (November 21, 2009 to December 1, 2011)

  Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires (May 9, 1993 to January 28, 2007)

  Sasanian Silver: Late Antique and Early Mediaeval Arts of Luxury from Iran (August 13 to September 17, 1967)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  600s, 500s

• Topic

  Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651)

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)