A rare Sasanian parcel-gilt silver plate - Lot 5

A rare Sasanian parcel-gilt silver plate A rare Sasanian parcel-gilt silver plate Sassanid Empire, probably 6th-7th century Diameter: 20.5 cm Wt: 321 g. Partially gilded, with repoussé, incised and engraved decoration, round and hollow form, decorated with seven convex roundels separated by flowering stems grouped in threes. Provenance : Former Belgian private collection Galerie Jan Dirven, Antwerp, 1994 Galerie Bernard de Leye, Brussels The exchange of gifts was an important part of Sassanid culture and part of the sovereign's role. Royal power was thus manifested by the image of the sovereign offering luxurious gold and silver vessels to foreign nobles and representatives. This dish is a striking example of the refinement of the Sassanid court in Iran and could well have been part of a court ritual. The bowl is composed of two silver plates joined at the lip. The surface, partially gilded, is decorated with seven convex bosses flanked by flowering stems worked in repoussé. A silver dish in the Hermitage Museum from the first half of the half of the 7th century shows a similar composition: a central roundel surrounded by smaller ones, each surrounded by foliage (Inv. S-18, Splendor of the Sassanids Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, 1993, cat. 69, p.217). The embossed decoration can also be found in other areas of Sassanid art, notably in glass production. See, for example, a beaker in the Corning Museum of Glass, dating from the 6th or 7th century, which shares the same decorative language as this dish (Inv. 72.1.21, Splendeur des Sassanides Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, 1993, cat. 114, p.265). Another example is the famous "Tasse de Salomon" (Solomon's Cup) in the Cabinet des Médailles, BnF, Paris (inv. 379), inlaid with hard stones and glass in a radiating disk design and dated to the 6th or 7th century. The shape seems to have survived into the medieval period: each of the seven discs becomes a concave dish to serve as a container for sweet dishes. There are several examples from the Seljuk and Ilkhanid periods produced in Kashan, Iran (The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, inv. 48.1011 and The National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, inv. F1909.318). The production of silver vessels in the Sassanid period seems to have been varied, both in form and decoration. Although it is difficult to find an exact parallel for the shape of this dish in Sassanid metal art, it is clear that purely geometric shapes and decorations were particularly prized: the dish shown here is a shining example. These metal vessels have often been found in archaeological contexts far removed from their presumed centers of production in Iran and Iraq, and precise dating and identification remain difficult today. The exchange and the giving of gifts was an essential part of Sassanian kingship. The projection of royal power was often manifested in the presenting of lavish gold and silver dishes to guests and neighbouring courts. This bowl with its striking silver and gilded surface is an example of this ostentatious court production. Its design is rarely seen in metal vessels and is testament to the taste of the Sassanian court for purely geometric ornamentation. The bowl is composed of an upper layer of gilded silver and a lower layer of silver with the two sections joined with a curved over rim. The dish has seven raised disks embossed onto the surface. The bosses are flanked on either side by tri-lobed flowering plants. A silver bowl in the Hermitage collection dated to the first half of the 7th century depicts a similar central roundel surrounded by a radius of minor roundels, each of which are bounded by bands of floral vine that are related to those found on this dish (Inv. S-18, Splendeur des Sassanides Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, 1993, cat. 69, p.217). The repetition of raised bosses can be found in other mediums in Sassanian art. For example a glass beaker with raised bosses in the Corning Museum of Glass dated to the 6 th or 7 th century has a similar decorative language to this dish (Inv. 72.1.21, Splendeur des Sassanides Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, 1993, cat. 114, p.265). The celebrated "Cup of Solomon" in Paris, dated to the 6 th or 7 th century is another example of this taste for geometric decoration (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cabinet des médailles, inv. 379). The form of this dish with its seven roundels appear to survive until the Medieval period when examples with concave roundels are produced in ceramic: see for instance several so-called sweetmeat dishes produced in Kashan in the 13 th century (The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, inv.48.1011 and the National Museum of