A ‘FEMALE DANCER’ BRONZE STEM CUP, SASANIAN EMPIRE (224-651 AD)

拍品描述

A ‘FEMALE DANCER’ BRONZE STEM CUP, SASANIAN EMPIRE (224-651 AD) Iran, circa 6th-7th century. Finely cast, the tall trumpet-shaped cup rising from a spreading circular foot through a slender baluster stem to a dramatically flared rim. The exterior is richly engraved with a continuous procession of female dancers, each figure is depicted in a swaying pose, alternately raising one hand beside her head while lowering the other, and wears an elaborate headdress, large earrings, a beaded necklace, a fitted bodice, and a long, finely striated skirt, all below radiating triangular reserves enclosing frontal eagles with outstretched wings and fanned tails. The stem and foot are further decorated with dense foliate and geometric motifs. Dimensions: Height 20 cm The imagery encircling the present cup belongs to one of the most evocative themes of Sasanian luxury metalwork. Female dancers - nude or richly draped and characteristically shown with one arm raised and the other lowered - appear on vases, ewers, and, more rarely, bowls, accompanied by fruiting plants, flowers, animals, birds, and ceremonial vessels. Together, these motifs form a visual language of abundance, festivity, and courtly pleasure, entirely suited to a drinking vessel used during aristocratic banquets and seasonal celebrations. Although the dancers recall the maenads of Dionysian imagery transmitted through Hellenistic and Roman art, in a Sasanian context they acquired distinctly Iranian resonances. Their association with fruit, flowers, water vessels, and luxuriant vegetation has led scholars to connect them with Anahita, the goddess of water, fertility, healing, and wisdom, as well as with personifications of the Seasons and the festivals of the Zoroastrian calendar. Literature comparison: Compare a related Sassanian gilt-silver vase with a dancing female figure, dated 5th-6th century AD, in the Louvre Museum, Paris, inventory number MAO 426. Compare a related Sasanian silver dish with a similar decoration of a eagle and dancing woman, dated 7th century AD, in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, museum number S-217. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 June 2000, lot 514 Price: USD 28,200 or approx. EUR 47,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related motif of a dancing woman with a similar incised robe. Note the different form and material. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s London, 22 April 2013, lot 37 Price: GBP 21,250 or approx. EUR 36,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related motifs with similar dancing female figures and birds. Note the different form and material.

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