Square Tray
Square Tray
1100-1200 (made)
1100-1200 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Octagonal dish surrounded by a narrow flat rim and four spandrels. This square edge is in turn framed by a slightly raised platform with a slanting, slightly rounded rim.
At the centre of the dished area, a human-headed bird (the Simorgh) is engraved on a scrolling ground framed by a circular band with four pointed knots marking the cardinal points. The Simorgh wears a three-pointed head-dress and its head is surrounded by the 'halo of glory'. Its flowing tail curves upwards.
The four triangular corners in the spandrels each enclose a single foliate scroll.
The rim is engraved at the corners with lotus-bud-shaped escutcheons and in the centre of each side, elongated cartouches with incurving sides frame inscriptions.
Patina: deep brown with slight red undertones due to oxidation. The surface seems to have been oiled by the excavators and has become newly oxidised as a result of being kept in humid conditions prior to acquisition by the museum.
At the centre of the dished area, a human-headed bird (the Simorgh) is engraved on a scrolling ground framed by a circular band with four pointed knots marking the cardinal points. The Simorgh wears a three-pointed head-dress and its head is surrounded by the 'halo of glory'. Its flowing tail curves upwards.
The four triangular corners in the spandrels each enclose a single foliate scroll.
The rim is engraved at the corners with lotus-bud-shaped escutcheons and in the centre of each side, elongated cartouches with incurving sides frame inscriptions.
Patina: deep brown with slight red undertones due to oxidation. The surface seems to have been oiled by the excavators and has become newly oxidised as a result of being kept in humid conditions prior to acquisition by the museum.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Square Tray (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Stamped bronze plate with engraved decoration. |
| Brief description | Stamped bronze tray with engraved decoration. |
| Physical description | Octagonal dish surrounded by a narrow flat rim and four spandrels. This square edge is in turn framed by a slightly raised platform with a slanting, slightly rounded rim. At the centre of the dished area, a human-headed bird (the Simorgh) is engraved on a scrolling ground framed by a circular band with four pointed knots marking the cardinal points. The Simorgh wears a three-pointed head-dress and its head is surrounded by the 'halo of glory'. Its flowing tail curves upwards. The four triangular corners in the spandrels each enclose a single foliate scroll. The rim is engraved at the corners with lotus-bud-shaped escutcheons and in the centre of each side, elongated cartouches with incurving sides frame inscriptions. Patina: deep brown with slight red undertones due to oxidation. The surface seems to have been oiled by the excavators and has become newly oxidised as a result of being kept in humid conditions prior to acquisition by the museum. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Persian; On the rim - starting on the east side.; engraved)
|
| Object history | Purchased for £30 with C.188 - 1951 from S.B Meyer on behalf of Frank Savery, 30 June 1951. Historical significance: No other example of this type of square tray is on record except for C. 188 - 1951 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | A.S. Melikian-Chirvani, Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, 8th-18th Centuries (London: HMSO, 1982), no.29, pp.99-100. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.181-1951 |
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| Record created | March 18, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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