Central Asia / Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 500 to 330 BCE. A beautiful cast bronze phiale, a special libation bowl with a squat, flattened base and body that is decorated in repousse with radiating diamond shapes that creates a lobed pattering across the shoulder. The interior tondo is etched with a looping curvilinear motif, and the once coppery surface has developed a thick and beautiful green patina. Size: 6.25" Diameter x 2" H (15.9 cm x 5.1 cm)

Libation bowls, known as phiale, were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia. These shallow bowls for holding wine in ritual and ceremonial settings were made from many materials - glass, ceramic, and many kinds of metal. Royal vessels were made of precious metals, like this one. They functioned both as tableware and as wealth and could be stored in the royal treasury or given as gifts to people they were hoping to influence.

Provenance: private California collection, USA, by descent; ex- Alfred E. Stendahl collection, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired prior to 1990

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#173131

Intact with age expected surface wear. Mineral deposits and heavy patina throughout.