Plate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurv

Plate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurv

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Close examination of the surface of the object indicates that the hybrid creature, known as a senmurv, is likely a modern embellishment to a Sasanian forged (not cast as previously thought) plate.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurvPlate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurvPlate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurvPlate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurvPlate with modern decoration of a mythical griffin bird, known as a senmurv

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.