Phiale with inscription

Object Details

• Description

  Silver phiale, hammered, chased and engraved, with repousse decoration, inscribed for Artaxerxes I (465 - 425 B.C.).

• Inscriptions

  1. (Ann Gunter, 1992) An inscription in Old Persian cuneiform along the rim reads, "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."

• Label

  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.

• Provenance

  About 465-no later than 423/4 B.C.E.

  Artaxerxes I (d. 425 B.C.E.; reign 465-424/423 B.C.E.), Achaemenid King of Persia [1]

  By 1932

  Reportedly appeared on art market, Iran [2]

  ?-1970

  The Kevorkian Foundation, New York, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  1970

  Sale, London, UK, Sotheby & Co., “Egyptian, Western Asiatic, Greek and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Pottery, Metalworks and Glass: The Property of the Kevorkian Foundation,” December 8, 1970, lot 141 [4]

  1970-1973

  Safani Gallery, New York, purchased at Sotheby & Co., London, UK, December 28, 1970, lot 141 [5]

  1973-1974

  Gawain McKinley, London, UK, purchased from Safani Gallery, New York [6]

  From 1974

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Gawain McKinley, London, UK [7]

  Notes:

  [1] See Ernst Herzfeld “Eine Silberschüssel Artaxerxes’ I” in “Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran,” vol. VII (1935): 1-8. See J. E. Curtis, M. R. Cowell, and C. B. C. Walker, “A Silver Bowl of Artaxerxes I” in “Iran” vol. 33 (1995): 150. The authors write that Herzfeld’s translation may be read in English 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, the Achaemenian, in whose house this silver drinking-cup (was) made.” See also Roland G. Kent, “Old Persian: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon,” in “American Oriental Series,” ed. James B. Pritchard [book] (New Haven: American Oriental Society, 1953), vol. 33; pp. 113, 153. Kent translates the “identical inscription on four silver dishes” 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.”

  Artaxerxes was the son of Xerxes I, heir to the throne of the Persian Empire, and grandson of Darius I, the King of Persia. Likely born in the reign of his grandfather, he assumed the throne following the assassinations of Xerxes I and Darius I.

  [2] See Henry P. Colburn “Ernst Herzfeld, Joseph Upton, and the Artaxerxes Phialai” in “Metropolitan Museum Journal” vol. 55 (2020): 112-117. On page 112, and passim, Colburn notes the recent discovery of a letter from Joseph M. Upton preserved in the archive for Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Persian (later Iranian) Expedition. Upton, then Assistant Curator of Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was also a member of the Metropolitan Museum’s Persian (now Iranian) Expedition from 1932 to 1946. During his 1932 fieldwork he wrote regularly to Maurice S. Dimand, curator of Near Eastern Art at the Met. In this letter from Upton to Dimand, dated October 24, 1932, Upton clearly referred to the Artaxerxes phialai: “A dealer has for sale six silver plates which are grduated [sic] in size to fit into one another. The four smaller ones bear identical inscriptions in cuneiform stating that they were made for the palace of Artaxerxes I.” Colburn notes that a black and white photograph of a phialai was included, but noted it isn’t possible to determine which of the four phialai it is.

  Colburn further notes that Upton’s 1932 letter confirms the claim which Herzfeld made in a 1935 letter to Ernst Kühnel, direct of the Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin, that he first encountered the phialai while with Upton. The date of Upton’s letter also coincides with the dated sketch Herzfeld made in the notebook he labeled “Cuneiform” (Keilschriften). In this notebook he copied and transliterated the inscription from the phialai, and included the caption “silver bowls Hamadan, Oct. 1932” (Silberschüsseln Hamadan, Okt. 1932), a reference to the city of Hamadan in western Iran. Herzfeld also annotated a sketchbook drawing of one of the phialai, dated July 7, 1934, with the following: “14 complete petals! Inscription 69.5 cm long; 4 mm gap span; 7 July 1934, Persepolis. Artaxerxes I silver dish.” See National Museum of Asian Art Archives, Ernst Herzfeld Papers, Series 3: Notebooks, N-37, pp. 18-19; see also Series 2: Sketchbooks, 1923-1931, SK-XIV – Sīstān – Teheran, 1929, pp. 17-18, copies in object file.

  Ernst Herzfeld (1879-1948) was a German scholar, philologist, and archaeologist. He was a pioneer in the field of Near Eastern and Iranian studies. Herzfeld directed excavations at Persepolis for the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago and conducted architectural and mapping surveys in some of the more remote areas of present-day Iran and Iraq. Although a complicated figure, Herzfeld published widely and made significant contributions to the philology of languages of the ancient Near East.

  Joseph M. Upton (1900-1981) was an archaeologist specializing in Near Eastern studies. Upton spent his early career with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including as a member of the Museum’s Persian Expedition from 1932 to 1946. During World War II he served with the Office of Strategic Services, joining the U. S. Department of State in 1946 as a Near East analyst. After his retirement, he continued to work with museums as a specialist art of the Near East.

  [3] See Sotheby & Co., “Egyptian, Western Asiatic, Greek and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Pottery, Metalworks and Glass: The Property of the Kevorkian Foundation,” [auction catalog] (London, December 8, 1970), lot 141. The object description is included in part in the description for lot 140, N.B. “An Achaemenid silver phiale with repoussé ornament consisting of radiating stems terminating in lotus flowers, between each flower is a lobe reproducing on a larger scale the central portion of the flower, with central omphalos,” including this translation of the inscription, “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.” The description for lot 141 reads, “Another, identical, but larger, 11 3/8 in. diam. 5th Century B.C., bearing the same inscription.”

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was an archaeologist, connoisseur, and one of the most significant dealers of art, including Islamic, Armenian, Ancient, and Classical art. Kevorkian had eponymous galleries in New York and Paris, and important objects from these galleries entered museums and private collections around the world. In 1953 he established the Kevorkian Foundation, which has supported scholarship in art history and archaeology, museum collections, lectures, and fellowships into the 21st century.

  [4] See note 3.

  [5] See note 3. See also object file for Gawain McKinley letter to H. P. Stern, dated April 18, 1973. McKinley writes, “Enclosed please find a copy of a letter I sent to Dr. Barnett at the British Museum, and his reply. This deals with the Artaxerxes dish, in terms of more information which I can give you about it.” In the attached letter from McKinley to Dr. R. D. Barnett, Keep of Western Asiatic Antiquities at the British Museum, dated April 3, 1973, McKinley writes, “I recently purchased from Mr. E. Safani of New York one of the silver dishes with the Artaxerxes inscription from the Kevorkian Collection.” See also in object file Dr. Barnett’s April 5, 1973, reply to McKinley. Dr. Barnett wrote, “I have your letter of 3rd April regarding the Artaxerxes dish from the Kevorkian collection, in which the Freer Art Gallery are interested.” Dr. Barnett confirmed the British Museum’s willingness to have their Research Laboratory communicate with the Freer Gallery of Art once they receive confirmation from the Freer.

  Safani Gallery was founded in New York City by Edward Safani (1912-1998) in 1946. He was son-in-law to Dr. Benjamin Mahmoubian (1868-1968), and nephew by marriage to Khalil (1906-1961) and Ayoub (1902-1984) Rabenou. Safani apprenticed with his uncles in Paris before moving to New York in 1946. Safani was considered an expert in Islamic and ancient Near Eastern art as well as ancient glass, and his gallery sold major works to leading museums around the world. His son Alan Safani (b. 1947) has managed Safani Gallery since the death of Edward.

  [6] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record no. V34.73, indicating that on March 19, 1973, the Freer received the object from Gawain McKinley for examination. See also note 5.

  Gawain McKinley (1945-1996) was a connoisseur, collector, and art dealer with a particular interest in ancient glass. Based primarily in London, he sold works to leading museums around the world. In 2006, antiquities from his estate were offered for sale by Bonhams.

  [7] See object file for copy of Gawain McKinley, Ltd. invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated September 15, 1974, and approved by the Under Secretary December 3, 1973.

  Research updated December 7, 2023

• 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)

  Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)

  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)

  A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Kevorkian Foundation (established 1951)

  Safani Gallery (established 1950)

  Gawain McKinley (1945-1996)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  McKinley, Gawain, Kevorkian Foundation, Safani Gallery

• Topic

  Repoussé, Hammering, Silver, Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Achaemenid period (ca. 550 - 331 BCE), Chasing, Engraving (incising), Metal-work

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes