Statuette of a bearded Persian

While using stylistic features of other peoples and neighboring regions, Achaemenid-Persian art of the 6th – 4th century BC remained an original creation of the ruling house and closely tied to the king. With regard to their function as an expression of the official religion and ruling ideology, as well as based on stylistic and iconographical features, the monuments are unmistakably distinctive. […] Despite its diminutive dimensions, the solidly cast silver statuette does not by any means convey the appearance of a small-scale sculpture. Following the tradition of Achaemenid art in its solidified rigor, the statuette hardly strikes one as three-dimensionally expressive. Rather, it seems to be about the display of particular features of the garment worn by the sitter, or of that individual’s wealth; the dress is rendered in great detail. […] The bearded man maintains his rigid pose and virtually showcases himself in his nicely draped garment. He wears the characteristic long trousers of Iranian peoples and on top a girdled garment with sleeves. Loosely draped over the shoulders and arms is a coat with a decorative border (kandys) that is open in the front. The empty sleeves droop sideways. A pointed hood hangs down from the shoulders on the back. [...] Closed shoes and the traditional headdress of nomadic peoples, the bashlik, complete the costume.