Bust
Unknownca 300 bc
Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities
Sweden
Hollow cast bronze bust. Long haired man with rounded winged crown. Almond shaped eyes double outlined, pupil dot visible on right. Faintly visible mouth topped by a long curving moustache. The beard is in two parts: a raised tripart under lower lip, and a semi-circle decorated with three horizontal ladder-like bands. Circles in front of the ears may indicate sideburns. Kidney shaped ears bear tear-drop earrings. He has shoulder length hair in the form of vertical ladders, side curls above the ears and a slight band under the crown. Decor: crown in the form of round helmet with one crenelated wing intact on right. Knob upper front, flat top with central hole. Double stranded necklace with two pendants, V-necked garment, dotted circles on the V, whorls on the shoulders, and vertical ridges (folds?) from mid chest down. Chest tapers sharply to the socle from rounded shoulders. Crown rests on band with dotted circles ending center back in wide area engraved with bow with two pleated ribbons falling to mid back.
- Title: Bust
- Creator: Unknown
- Date Created: ca 300 bc
- Physical Dimensions: w170 x h240 mm
- Type: Bust
- Rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/se/
- Viewing Notes: The crown can be reconstructed to resemble that of Yazdijird I (399-420) or Shapur II (310-379) with wings on side, half moon or wing in front (SPA 252B, Porada). It has a less portrait-like and lively feeling than that of a later Sasanian king in the Louvre (Parrot) or a Parthian man in bronze (SPA 134c). Similar to the Louvre are the necklace, garment and perhaps shoulder whirl. Ours shows a better transition from head to shoulder, is more modest in execution, and does not have the details of clothing in back as does the Louvre's. The beard is somewhat like that of king Uthal from Hatria in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad, (Parthian - first half 2nd C AD). Our head also shows some resemblance to a Parthian head from Susa ( Osten) as well as the Parthian bronze mentioned above. Another Sasanian bust in silver (Atil) is closer to the Louvre's and also mid sixth century inn date. Thus ours is probably later than the Parthian ones and earlier than the ones of the sixth century. Its hair style tends to place it in the fourth century as does the crown (SPA 162B, 209).
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