Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper
Unknown Artist
ca. 3rd century CE
Medium
Terracotta, gouache
Dimensions
H. 56.8 cm, W. 52.3 cm, D. 5.4 cm 43 lbs
Classification
Ceramics-Paintings
Culture & Period
Kushan · Kushan
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 2000
Accession Number
2000.42.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking terracotta panel from the Kushan Empire, dating to around the 3rd century CE, measures about 57 cm high and weighs a substantial 43 pounds, showcasing the durability of its baked-clay medium. Adorned with gouache—an opaque watercolor paint typically used on paper but here applied to create vivid, matte colors—the artwork depicts a majestic deity identified as Zeus, Serapis, or Ohrmazd, flanked by a devoted worshiper. This fusion of divine identities reflects the Kushan culture's remarkable artistic classification as ceramics-paintings. The Kushan period (1st–3rd centuries CE) sp...