The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2023

Dish with King Hormizd II or Hormizd III Hunting Lions

AD 400–600

Iran, Sasanian, 5th-6th Century

Silver gilt

Overall: 4.6 x 20.8 cm (1 13/16 x 8 3/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1962.150

Location

116 Islamic

Fun Fact

Hormizd II's crown is distinct with its eagle form and topped with the traditional <em>korymbos, </em>a fine, bejeweled fabric that encases the top hair in a glob-like fashion.

Description

Lion hunting was a traditional royal sport in ancient Near Eastern cultures and was frequently incorporated into artwork, such as Assyrian (about 912–612 BC) palace reliefs. Thematically, depictions of the hunt in royal artwork bridge the pre- and post-Islamic worlds. This dish features the Sasanian ruler Hormizd II (reigned from AD 303–9), identifiable by his distinctive crown. The style of the king’s and horse’s equipment suggest that this dish was made long after he died, perhaps as a commemorative work by a much later successor, Hormizd III (reigned from AD 457-59).

Inscriptions

Inscription

On reverse, inside foot, an inscription in Pahlavi reads according to Dr. Frye, Harvard University: "Gozac, one pound (fifty) one drachms."

Provenance
?-1962
(Mrs. Elsa Rabenou [1910-2000], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1962-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Shepherd, Dorothy G. "Sasanian Art in Cleveland." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 51, no. 4 (1964): 66-92. Mentioned: P. 73-79; Reproduced: P. 74 www.jstor.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 7 archive.org
Harper, Prudence Oliver. The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire. New York: Asia Society, 1978. Mentioned: pp. 38, 39; reproduced: pl. 6, p.39
Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, pp. 326–359. Reproduced: p. 338, fig. 22 www.jstor.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 28
Drayman Weisser, Terry. Gilded Metals: History, Technology and Conservation. London, England: Archetype Publications in association with the American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, 2000. p. 179, fig. 10.11
May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. p. 116
Demange, F. Les Perses sassanides: fastes d'un empire oublié, 224-642 : Musée Cernuschi, Musée des arts de l'Asie de la ville de Paris, 15 septembre-30 décembre 2006. Paris: Paris musées, 2006. cat. no. 29, p. 89
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. p. 38
Demange, F. Glass, Gilding, & Grand Design: Art of Sasanian Iran (224-642). New York: Asia Society, 2007. p. 25, fig. 12
Spier, Jeffrey, Timothy F. Potts, and Sara E. Cole. Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World. Los Angeles : J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022. Mentioned: pp. 320-321; reproduced: p. 273 and 320, fig 171
Exhibition history

Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).

The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire. Asia House Galleries (organizer) (January 12-March 11, 1978); The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (April 10-May 21, 1978); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 7-August 13, 1978).

The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).

All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 23, 1994-January 8, 1995).

Les Perses Sassanides ou les Fastes d'un empire oublié. Musee Cernuschi, Paris, France (organizer) (September 14-December 31, 2006).

Art of the Islamic World (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (May 21, 2021-May 31, 2022).

Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World. Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, CA (April 6-August 8, 2022) https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/persia/index.html.

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.150