Bowl with Portrait Medallion

This silver bowl was produced under the patronage of the Sassanians (224–651 A.D.), the last of the great Persian dynasties. Near Eastern arts and culture flourished during the reigns of the Sassanian kings, who established an empire extending from present-day Syria to Afghanistan. As under the Achaemenids and Parthians before them, the craft of metalworking attained a particularly high level of sophistication in the Sassanian period.

The Art Museum’s bowl is a distinguished example of this tradition. The vessel features a medallion depicting a bearded male bust. The subject’s identity is unknown, although the absence of any royal regalia suggests a high-ranking nobleman rather than a king. The general concept of a portrait medallion originated in the Roman West, where examples are to be found on vessels of metal and cut glass (among other settings).

The Art Museum’s bowl belongs to a select group of seven such vessels depicting male and female busts set within medallions. Like others in the group, this medallion is a separately cast and hammered piece of silver, which has been fastened to the bowl by crimping.