Beaker
Object Details
- Description
- Beaker with flat base, plain relief band around circumference of base. Bent at base and around rim; a few cracks along rim. Base decorated with engraved pattern of twelve radiating petals, each with doubled incised outline, from center formed by concentric circles. Sharply everted, flangelike rim.
- Just above base and just below rim, bands decorated with guilloche pattern formed by multiple incised lines. On body of beaker, framed by guilloche: bands in relief arranged in torsional pattern. Plain bands alternate with guilloche; next to one of the guilloche bands, an incised geometric pattern.
- Label
- Beakers of this shape, made of gold or silver, are best attested among the finds attributed to the Marlik culture, which flourished in the southwest Caspian region of northern Iran from around 1400 to 1000 B.C.E. This example shares with the Marlik beakers a rosette pattern on the base and guilloche bands at top and bottom of the vessel. The torsional relief bands that decorate the body are unusual, perhaps suggesting that the vessel belongs to a related but separate regional style or workshop.
- Collection
- Arthur M. Sackler Collection
- Exhibition History
- Metalwork and Ceramics from Ancient Iran (November 19, 1992 to January 22, 2004)
- Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
- ca. 1200-900 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age I - II
- Accession Number
- S1987.132
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Vessel
- Medium
- Silver
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 12.8 x 8 x 8 cm (5 1/16 x 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 in)
- Origin
- Northwest Iran
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- chasing
- repoussé
- hammering
- metal
- silver
- Iron Age I (ca. 1450 - 1250 BCE)
- Iron Age II (ca. 1250 - 800 BCE)
- Iran
- Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Record ID
- fsg_S1987.132
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Not determined
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3c19f0af4-4cbd-4d3d-8f52-81d73e259533
Related Content
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.