"Feast
Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran," on view at the
Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries beginning Feb. 4, explores the
beauty, role and function of luxury metalwork in ancient Iran. The
exhibition features more than 40 works fashioned in silver and gold
between the founding of the Achaemenid Empire ca. 550 B.C.E. and the
beginning of the Islamic period in the seventh century.
"Together
the Freer and Sackler house one of the world's most remarkable
collections, which offers invaluable insight into the lives of the
powerful of the period," said Julian Raby, the Dame Jillian Sackler
Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art.
The
exhibition coincides with the 25th anniversary of the founding of the
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and a large number of the objects were part
of Sackler's original gift. These are juxtaposed with works from the
Freer Gallery of Art, the Sackler's sister museum, one of the first
institutions in the U.S. to collect ancient Iranian metalwork.
Installed
in the connecting gallery between the two museums, the exhibition will
highlight how rulers expressed the political power and material wealth
of their empires through portable luxury objects.
The
vessels on display include finely hammered bowls, cups, plates, ewers
and bottles. Many of the objects were intended for elaborate,
multicourse banquets, for which the Iranians were known throughout the
ancient world. Others were used for more solemn religious ceremonies.
Among
the most celebrated works is a silver-gilt royal hunting plate with the
portrait of Shapur II (309-379 C.E.), a Sasanian ruler recognizable by
his distinctive crown. Fashioned out of 19 separate components, the
plate is also one of the earliest Sasanian examples to depict a king
hunting-one of the most enduring royal images from the ancient Near
East.
Vessels
depicting rulers or royal hunting scenes, an activity long associated
with kingship in the ancient Near East, had yet another function: they
were used primarily as diplomatic gifts and sent as symbols of imperial
authority to far-flung corners of the Iranian Empire and along the Silk
Road as far as China, to strengthen diplomatic and commercial relations.
Military conflict between Iran and its western neighbors, first with
Alexander of Macedonia, which brought the Achaemenid Empire to a close
in 331 B.C., and later with the Romans, who vied for territorial and
economic control, introduced new techniques and motifs into Iranian
metalwork. For example, the figure of Dionysus, the Roman God of wine,
together with his female companions, appears on several vessels.
Another
rare and remarkable object from the Sasanian period is a wine horn,
terminating in the head of a gazelle with a small spout, used for
pouring out wine. Horn-shaped drinking cups of this type were
continuously popular for at least a millennium.
The
art of ancient Iran had a lasting impact on the region long after the
arrival of Islam in the seventh century. Several objects in the
exhibition, including a magnificent gold jug, will highlight the
continued use and reinterpretation of ancient Iranian motifs in the
Islamic period.
"Feast
Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran" will be accompanied by
an "Explore and Learn" feature on the Freer and Sackler's website, which
offers an in-depth look at the artistic, technical and historical
aspects of the Freer's celebrated hunting plate.
The
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W.,
and the adjacent Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and
Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and admission
is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail
station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more information about the
Freer and Sackler Galleries and their exhibitions, programs and other
events, the public may visit asia.si.edu. For information about special programs for the Sackler's 25th anniversary year, visit asia.si.edu/Sackler25. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.
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