Sasanian Silver footed bowl with eagle and deer, 3rd-7th century BC

Sasanian silver bowl decorated with an eagle standing facing left hunting a deer. Sassanid metalwork was marvellous, delicate and very select, for the finest offerings and rituals. These silver bowls could be used for great events, as offerings or as trousseaus.

The Sasanian elite valued beautiful metal objects, especially those made of silver and gold. Many of these objects drew inspiration from Near Eastern themes of hunting. Sasanian artistic culture, in turn, 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.