Plate with Ram

Object Details

• Description

  Most of the exterior is covered with green corrosion except for one section which has been cleaned. The head and body of the animal, made of two separately cast or hammered pieces, are now missing. Plate with a low ring foot, shallow fluted exterior, and plain rim. On the interior, originally added in relief, is a striding mouflon or ram in profile facing right, encircled by a grape and leaf scroll. A long fillet tied around the ram's neck ends in fluttering streamers. Weight: 443 g.

• 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 27. On the receipt the object is described as, “Sasanian Silver Plate (Design of Trees and Ibex in Center).” The Dr. Arthur M. Sackler object number inscribed on the receipt is S-260 (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

  Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)

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

  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

  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, 700s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Farhadi and Anavian Co.

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)