Breastplate fragment
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
ca. 800-500 BCE -
Geography
Northwestern Iran -
Material
Gold -
Dimension
H x W x D: 9.3 x 18.1 x 0.5 cm (3 11/16 x 7 1/8 x 3/16 in) -
Accession Number
S1986.496 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S1986.496
Object Details
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Description
This fragment is the lowest part of a trapezoidal breastplate made of sheet gold, decorated with parallel registers of figures in repoussé technique. In the upper register are two antithetical pairs of creatures, human-headed winged bulls and crested griffins, flanking a "sacred tree." In the lower register, a "sacred tree" with palmette top is flanked by a pair of horned griffins and a pair of winged bird-men carrying buckets and holding pine cones. -
Provenance
From at least 1957 to 1966Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981). [1]From 1966 to 1986Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. [2]From 1986Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, transferred from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC [3]Notes:[1] The object was published in the Royal Ontario Museum’s publication in 1957, which states that it belonged to Mr. Joseph H. Hirshhorn’s collection at the time. See Needler, Winifred (1957). Four Near Eastern Antiquities Lent by Mr. Joseph H. Hirshhorn. Royal Ontario Museum Bulletin of the Division of Art and Archaeology, 9-10, pl. 3A. See also Curatorial Remark 4 in the object record.[2] See document from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, object file, Collections Management Office.[3] See note 2. See also object file, Collections Management Office. -
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)Metalwork and Ceramics from Ancient Iran (November 19, 1992 to January 22, 2004)Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)7,000 ans d'art en Iran (October 1961 to January 1962)Untitled Exhibition, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 1957 (1957) -
Previous custodian or owner
Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981)Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden -
Origin
Northwestern Iran -
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution -
Type
Weapon and Armament -
On View
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran -
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.
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