Ancient Near East / Central Asia, Sasanian (Sassanian / Sassanid) Empire, ca. 2nd to 7th century CE. A beautiful example of a gilded bronze bowl with the exterior base decorated with a lightly incised cross pattern with diagonal bars radiating outward from it. The interior is also gilded, with a very fine texture of incised, narrow lines around the walls and straight across the base. The Sasanian elite valued beautiful metal objects, especially those that either were or looked like silver and gold. Many of these objects drew inspiration from Greco-Roman artwork, but others, like this bowl, have abstract motifs. Sasanian artistic culture spread along the Silk Road, influencing metalwork in western Iran and the Caspian Sea, and bowls like this one have been found as far afield as the eastern coast of China. Size: 6.1" W x 3" H (15.5 cm x 7.6 cm)

Provenance: ex private Ventura County, California, USA collection

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#129160

Small area of repair to a tear along the rim. Areas of encrustation and bronze patina around the rim of the bowl and areas of the body where the gilding has worn away. The patina is excellent on this piece, with much of it formed around the rim, giving it a fascinating appearance.