Oval bowl with grapevine scrolls inhabited by birds and animals

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This oval bowl, made from a single piece of hammered silver, is an example of one of the new vessel forms popular during the second half of the Sasanian period (A.D. 224-651): the shape is typical for wine drinking and most likely derives from Chinese prototypes. The background of the bowl’s exterior was carved out and then gilded, leaving the silver decoration in high relief. Tendrils of vine scrolls, one of the most popular motifs in Sasanian art, are arranged symmetrically along with grape clusters, lotus palmettes, birds and animals. The bearded dancing figure in the center most likely represents Silenos, leader of the satyrs, who along with the grapes and vines, attests to the continuing popularity of imagery associated with the Greek god Dionysos. The cup’s interior features a bird (probably a cock) holding a leaf in its beak, surrounded by bosses created by punching from the exterior surface.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art