Persian Art - The Lost Treasure by Lukonin Vladimir & Ivanov Anatoly

Author:Lukonin, Vladimir & Ivanov, Anatoly
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783107964
Publisher: Parkstone International
Published: 2015-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Bibliography:

Khalilov 1976, pp. 146-149; Lukonin 1980, pp. 36, 37; Harper and Meyers 1981, pp. 48-50; Bretanizki 1988, pl. 16.

54. Bowl depicting Shapur II hunting lions, 4th century CE.

Silver, hammered from a sheet and gilded; low relief produced by

hollowing the background, high relief formed of applied plaques

tooled separately; chased and punched, diameter: 22.9 cm; weight: 828g.

The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Inv. No. S-253.

The bowl shows a symbolic hunting scene typical of late Sassanian art. The shahanshah Shapur II (309-379 CE), twisting round in a “Parthian bend”, shoots an arrow at a rampant lion – a hypostasis of the deity of royal strength and power, Mithras. The same lion, already smitten, lies beneath the horse’s hooves. This bowl is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Sassanian metalwork. Unlike all other vessels, the depiction is three-dimensional and without unnecessary details; the scene is skillfully enclosed within a circle, fine lines indicate the folds of the silk clothing and the lion’s gaping jaws are marvellously depicted.

Despite the freedom of the design and its very successful inscription within a circle, it is nevertheless constructed out of totally canonical elements. For example, the recumbent lion is shown in exactly the same pose as on other silver plates and even on rock reliefs.

The bowl was discovered in 1927 near the village of Turushevo in Viatka province.

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