Horse-Shaped Drinking Vessel
Unknown Artist
200–325 CE
Medium
silver, partially gilt
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.12,"width":0.108,"depth":0.327}}
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1964.41
About this artwork
The horse was a favorite artistic subject in ancient Iran, where horse breeding flourished. This muscular Sasanian stallion was descended from the royal and sacred Nisean breed of the Achaemenian Persians. Although Sasanian horse trappings were elaborate, they did not include stirrups for mounting. In this rendition, the steed lies still, as camels in the Near East do today, waiting for its rider to mount. The medallions on each shoulder contain busts, perhaps of rulers of different parts of the...