Sassanian silver plate

Sassanian Period
Pergamon Museum, Berlin Germany
Source: Flickr [1]

It is often possible to identify Sassanid rulers by their distinctive personal crowns, as the representations are accompanied by their names on certain sculptures and coins.

Sassanid Vase with Dancing Female Figures

Silver gilt vase with dancing female figures
Sassanid period Iran
circa 6th century AD
kept in Miho Museum, Japan [1]

Colorful Sassanian vase with fresco from Merv

Unveiled woman on a Sassanian painted clay vase. It is not clear if the figure behind is veiled. The vase tells a story of the family that owned it.

Excavated from the Buddhist Stupa, Merv. Probably 5th century AD. 

National Museum of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat.

Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Fragments of a Wall Hanging with Figures in Persian Dress

Date: Late 6th or early 7th century

Geography: Made in Eastern Mediterranean

Medium: Embroidery in polychrome wool on plain weave ground of undyed linen

Dimensions: 39 x 42 cm 

Classification: Textiles 

Location: Kept in Benaki Museum Athens Greece

Period: Sassanian Empire
Sources: [1] [2]

Many Persian works of art reflect the dynamic cultural and artistic exchange between the eastern Mediterranean and the Sassanian Empire—from shared icono-graphical motifs, such as the presence of grapevines and Dionysiac imagery, to the juxtaposition of figures wearing specifically Persian costume styles and others wearing traditional Roman tunics. Much of this contact was the result of the expansion of Persian troops into the Mediterranean between 618 and 629, during which time they took over the southern provinces of the Byzantine Empire.
The dress of the figures on this textile exemplifies the distinct tailored costume of the Sasanian Empire, with headbands with cascading ribbons, pearl ornamentation, and heart-shaped motifs. The central figure appears to ride on horseback. Behind him is a man holding a sixteen-pointed star at the top of a winged rod, possibly an insignia of a Sassanian king.

 

Coins of Ardashir I

Three sample coins of Ardashir I of Sassanian Dynasty.
224 - 242 AD
Kept in known location (possibly British Museum according to one of our readers)
More information: Link [1]

Head of Sassanian King

4th century; Sasanian period
Iran
Gilded silver

The Sassanian dynasty of Iran ruled an area from the Euphrates River to Bactria from the third century A.D. until the Islamic conquest in the seventh century, controlling for much of that time the Silk Road from Byzantium to China. Dating from the fourth century, this royal head, hammered from a single sheet of silver, with chased and repoussé details, has parallels in imperial portraits made in the Roman West. The king wears simple ovoid earrings and a beaded necklace of Sassanian fashion. His powerful stare and characteristic arched nose seem to suggest that the artist was attempting to convey a sense of majesty rather than an individual likeness. The identity of the subject of such representations, in relief or in the round, can often be determined by comparison of facial features and details of the crown with those of kings portrayed on Sassanian coins of the period. In this case, however, the crescent that decorates the crenellated crown and the striated orb that rises above it have no exact parallel. It does appear, however, on crowns worn by Kushano-Sassanian rulers. No crescent is seen on the official crowns of Shapur II, but a rock relief at Taq-i Bustan depicts Shapur III (r. 383–88) in a similar fashion. Kept in Metropolitan Museum of New York [1].

A SASSANIAN PARCEL-GILT SILVER INSCRIBED BOWL

CIRCA 4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.

The interior of the vessel decorated with a band of scrolling wave pattern below the thick rim, the centre with a large circle filled with smaller interlocking circles, probably drawn with a compass, giving the effect of flowers with six petals, the in-fill pattern consisting of fine dotted lines, an inscription derived from Aramaic incised around the top exterior edge of the vessel, perhaps giving the name of the owner and the weight of silver as 103 drachms
8 in. (20 cm.) diam.

A POST-SASSANIAN PARCEL GILT SILVER DISH

UMAYYAD IRAN, CIRCA 8TH CENTURY

Of shallow rounded form on short central foot, the rim slightly thickened, the interior worked in shallow relief with a central roundel depicting a silver standing warrior warding off a lion with his left hand and about to stab the lion with the right, on plain gilt ground, the border with a band of stylised lotus capitals on a gilt ground radiating from a moulded lappet band, the underside with encrustation, one area of slight repair to rim 7 7/8in. (20.1cm.) diam. 

Sassanian Sliver Plate in Tabriz

Sliver plate with gold
with two warriors (left one is a King)
Sassanian Period
Azerbaijan Museum [1], Tabriz, Iran

Sassanian Helmet in Germany

Sassanian helmet
Late 6th centuray AD
kept in Romisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum [1], Mainz, Germany
source [2]

Spouted vessel with gazelle protome

Spouted vessel with gazelle protome

4th century
Sassanid period
Silver and gilt
H: 15.5 W: 25.4 D: 14.1 cm
Iran or Afghanistan

Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC, USA

Vessels made entirely or in part in the shape of an animal, in both metal and ceramic versions, have a long history in ancient Iran. Only a few examples of this vessel type, however, have surfaced among artifacts of the Sasanian period (ca. 224–651). Chiefly influenced by Roman and Byzantine prototypes and to some extent by Central Asian styles, Sasanian silver plate seldom drew on traditional Iranian vessel forms. Horned animals, such as the ram and this gazelle, appear as quarry on some of the Sasanian silver and gilt plates depicting a royal hunt. With its animal-shaped protome (forepart) joined to a compact horn and furnished with a spout through the animal's mouth, this is an extremely rare example dating from the Sasanian period. This type of vessel embodies an important image and concept: a special liquid, probably wine, was contained in and dispensed from the mouth of an animal that itself held powerful, royal connotations.

Silver and gilt plate

Silver and gilt Plate

4th century

Sassanid period 

Reign of Shapur II (309-379 C.E.)

Iran 

Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC, USA

One of the earliest and most enduring of the royal images created during the Sasanian period (ca. 224–651) shows the king on horseback hunting select quarry: boar, lion, antelope (or gazelle). This image, often embellished with gilding, was depicted on the interior of silver plates, about thirty of which have been found in Iran and neighboring countries. Produced in imperial workshops, these plates were given as official gifts from the king to high-ranking individuals within or beyond the empire's frontiers. In the early centuries of Sasanian rule, silver production was controlled by a royal monopoly and could be minted into coins or fashioned into objects only on the king's authority.

Although the royal figures on the plates are not labeled, they can sometimes be identified by their crowns, which are sometimes also shown on coin portraits of individual Sasanian kings. The figure on this plate is generally identified as Shapur II (reigned 309–79).

Plate with the Bust of a King

Sassanid Period
6th century AD
Iran.
Kept in Miho Museum, Japan
Source: [1]

Salt Man I, The Sassanid Mummy

 The "Saltmen" were discovered in the Chehrabad salt mines, located on the southern part of the Hamzehlu village, on the west side of the city ofZanjan, in the Zanjan Province in Iran. Until 2010 the remains of six men has been discovered, most of them has been accidentally killed by collapsing galleries they were working in. The head and left foot of Salt Man 1 are on display at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.This one most likely belongs to Sassanian period.