Plate

Object Details

• Label

  The decoration on this plate, a couple seated on a couch and grasping a wreath or diadem, is also found on Sasanian seal stones. The male figure wears a mural crown, indicating that this is a scene of a royal or princely banquet. Late in the Sasanian period (ca. 224-651), silver plates with interior decoration were fashioned for a noble clientele. Most depict subjects with religious meaning; this plate is therefore unusual in the repertory of late Sasanian silver plate.

  Below the couch is the head of a ram in profile, facing right. In Zoroastrian writing the ram, or mouflon, is associated with the Iranian god Verethragna and with royal glory or fortune (xvarnah). The animal appears frequently in Sasanian art--on silver vessels, as a stucco pattern, on textiles, and on seal stones. Depicted as an isolated head, this animal image can be found on other examples of Sasanian and Central Asian silver. If intended to symbolize Verethragna and thus also valor, the animal head would then emphasize the heroic aspect of the royal banquet.

• 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 26. On the receipt the object is described as, “Sasanian Silver Plate (King and Queen seated on a crown).” The Dr. Arthur M. Sackler object number inscribed on the receipt is S-259 (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

  The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)

  Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)

  Antioch: The Lost Roman City (October 7, 2000 to December 30, 2001)

  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)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  600s, 700s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Farhadi and Anavian Co.

• Topic

  Gilding, Hammering, Silver, Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Food habits, Sasanian period (ca. 224 - 651), Chasing, Metal-work

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)