Like Darius I, Ardashir I felt that he owed his decisive victory over Artabanus V to Ahura Mazda. To show his respect for the deity and, at the same time, announce his victory over Artabanus to his people, he ordered a bas-relief to be placed at a strategic gorge near Firuzabad. The relief depicts Ahura Mazda investing the monarch by passing a diadem, or symbol of power, to him over the sacred fire.

This theme is repeated by Ardashir I one more time at Naqsh-i Rustam, the Achaemenians' necropolis, where he commemorates his victory. This time, however, both the deity and the monarch appear on horseback. Furthermore, both the monarch and the deity are trampling their arch-enemies, Artabanus V and Ahriman, respectively.

By the time of Shapur I, Artabanus V is no longer recalled. New vanquished enemies must be humbled before the king. In this context, Shapur I forces Valerian, the Roman Emperor whom he had defeated, to keel before him every time that he wishes to mount his horse. In some instances, it is related that he used the Roman Emperor as a step to mount.

Among the more family-oriented friezes (cf., Darius I's reception of a messenger in which crown price Xerxes I appears) is a family portrait ordered by Bahram II to be carved out of stone in the tradition of the Achaemenians at Naqsh-i Rustam. The frieze depicts Bahram II, his queen, his crown prince, and his other family members.

Sassanian architecture used rough-hewn stone and mortar in the heartland and brick in Mesopotamia. The palaces at Firuzabad and Sarvestan are examples of the former, Taq-i Kasra in Mesopotamia is an example of the latter. Sassanian palaces have triple aivans leading to large reception halls which, in turn, lead to the monarch's residential quarters. The Sassanians, however, unlike in the Achaemenian palaces at Persepolis, made extensive use of stucco, which in time has resulted in the loss of the majesty of their triple aivans. They can, however, be reconstructed on the basis of the literature of the time.

Palace of Firuzabad
Iran, 3rd century AD

The Taq-i Kasra
Mesopotamia, 3rd century AD

Rather than with carpets, some floors of the aivans were covered with colorful mosaic panels depicting women weaving garlands, dancing, holding bouquets, playing the harp or, simply, reclining on cushions. This woman, holding a bouquet, is an example of Sassanian mosaic panels.

Sassanian metalwork covers both coinage and production and refinement of metal objects developed over centuries. On the coins, especially during the earlier years of the dynasty, a real effort is made to create life-like portraits of the sovereign. The coins of Ardashir I and Shapur I display this refinement. With the decline of the dynasty, there is also a decline in the refinement of the coins as is seen in the coins of Qubad, Hormuzd IV, and Ardashir III.

coin depicting Shapur I
Iran, AD 241-272

coin depicting Ardashir III
Iran, AD 628-630

Building on such Achaemenian techniques as chasing, embossing, and casting, Sassanian artisans produced wonderful gold and silver vases, phials, and conical cups decorated with ibexes, flora, even human shapes. The dominant themes on cups, ewers, dishes, and bowls are hunting scenes depicting the monarch confronting lions or pursuing fleeing deer and zebras. The illustrations that follow are described by the curator of the Sassanian metalwork collection at the Hermitage.

PLATE
Iran, 5th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 25 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The plate with the representation of the Shahanshah Peroz (AD 459-484) is almost the only Sassanian plate in which it is possible to see how the master's plans changed in the course of his work. The artist introduced a genre element into the scene by placing around the edge of the plate nets set up by beaters and figures of hunters and dogs. Such a distribution of motifs, however, was felt to reduce the dynamic quality of composition, and the master straightened out part of the edge to obliterate unnecessary details. The minute treatment of the ornamentation on the clothes of the king testifies to the growth of the decorative tendency in Sassanian art.

PLATE
Iran, 7th-8th centuries
Partially gilt. Diameter: 28 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The composition, unlike the earlier hunting scenes, portrays not a king but a private Person--probably the craftsman's patron. The Middle Persian inscription on the reverse states that the plate was made to the order of the son of a certain Bahman. He was, perhaps, one of the few Iranians who stayed loyal to the Sassanian tradition after the fall of the Empire to the Arabs. The decorations of the hunter, his weapons and the harness of his horse are of a type well known from archaeological finds. The plate is unique in its technique: two large sheets, embossed from the back, are riveted and grounded to a base.

DISH
Iran, 5th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 20.5 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

This plate with a lioness feeding her cubs is striking in its elaborate, well-balanced composition and in the strangely primitive portrayal of the figures. It is speculated that the craftsman transferred onto silver a net-like design originally embroidered on textile. The somewhat unusual treatment is due to the artist's desire to give a faithful rendering of his model, which had the technical peculiarities imposed by its material. The content of the scene is connected with the symbols of the universe, a characteristic feature of Sassanian art.

PLATE
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt; niello inlays. Diameter: 25 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The composition on the plate originates from royal hunting scenes. The crown on the mounted figure suggests that an heir to the throne is portrayed here. In late Sassanian art careful attention is paid to the details of everyday life. The picture anticipates the later miniatures which are distinguished, on the one hand, by the strictly conventional proportions of the figures and the general highly decorative treatment of the subject, and on the other, by the utmost accuracy in the rendering of details. The torque on the neck, the ornamented silk collar with three rich pendants and leggings of tiger skin are elaborately delineated, and the rough skin of the prince's shaven cheeks is clearly seen. The decorative effect of the plate is enhanced by niello inlay.

PLATE
Iran, 6th-8th centuries
Partially gilt. Diameter: 25 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The grace and the elegance of line which characterize the picture of a goddess riding a mystical animal remind one of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. Finishing the plate from the obverse the master displayed high skill in the use of the chisel, needle, punches, and poin¨ons. The texture of the goddess's clothing is perfectly rendered. The symbolic figures apparently express the harmony of the universe: over the sea and there hovers a creature with the head and paws of a beast of prey, with horns of a herbivorous animal and the feathers and wings of a bird. A goddess with a flute sits enthroned on the back of this fantastic animal.

PLATE
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 22 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The scene on the plate illustrates a legend very popular in medieval Iranian arts. Azadeh, the beloved of Prince Bahram Gur (Sassanian King Varakhran V, AD 421-439), saw a herd of gazelles and asked the prince to turn a buck into a doe, and a does into a buck. With a special crescent-headed arrow the prince shot off a buck's antlers, thus turning him into a doe; then he shot at a doe, planting two arrows in the place where antlers grow, thus turning her into a buck; with the last shot, he pinned the ear of a buck to his shoulder while the animal was scratching with his foreleg. This motif was used by Firdowsi in his Shahname (10th century); but, as the plate shows, the legend existed as early as the seventh century.

EWER
Iran, 6th century
Partially gilt. Height: 33 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The form and proportions of the ewer, in their austere clarity, are reminiscent of classic architecture. The ewer is ornamented with relief designs produced by embossing from the back and finishing from the face with punches and poin¨ons. The designs have symbolic meaning. In the medallions are represented mythical senmuros, half beasts and half birds. Between the medallions is the Tree of Life.

BOWL
Iran, 6th-7th centuries
Partially gilt. Length: 28 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The elongated bowl of the poly-lobed form belongs to the end of the Sassanian epoch. This form, created in Iran, was copied in the other countries, from the Bosphorus to the Pacific Ocean. The decorations on the bowl were executed by hollowing out the ground. They apparently symbolize the universe. The repeated motif (land, water, plants, and animals) alternates with griffons in which the features of beasts, birds, and plants are united.

DISH
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 20 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Toward the end of the Sassanian epoch, a necklace with three pendants became an obligatory part of the kings attire. A bird with such a necklace in its beak, seen in the medallion, is symbolic of a divinity investing the king with royal power. The motifs and character of the design remind one of ornamental details of Sassanian architecture or the patterns on Sassanian silks. Iranian craftsmen often borrowed decorative motifs from other arts and crafts: this, to a significant degree, explains the stylistic diversity of their work.

PLATE
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 22 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The plate with the representation of a clock is exceptionally interesting. Scholars are of the opinion that it shows a detail of the throne of the last powerful Sassanid, Shahanshah Khosrow Parvez (AD 590-628). His throne was decorated with a wonderful clock; each time when an hour passed, there appeared a chariot driven either by the Sun God, in the daytime, or by the Moon God, at night. The plate shows the Moon God driving his chariot with bulls harnessed to it. The Sun God, with a bow and arrows, stands inside a small edicule, thus symbolizing the sun below the horizon.

PLATE
Iran, 4th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 22 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The cast plate depicts the Shahanshah Shapur III (AD 383-388) in the act of killing a leopard. The plate, with added cast parts, is chased and engraved from the face. Although the struggle is shown as a heroic action, yet the portrayal is tranquil and calm. The head of the king, which was cast separately, reminds one of royal heads in Sassanian rock reliefs.

PLATE
Iran, 4th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 28 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The plate with the representation of "the great king of the Kushans," Prince Varakhran (after AD 388), was completed a few years after the plate showing Shapur III in the act of killing a leopard. However, the approach to the theme is quite different. The master who executed the Varakhran plate portrays not the triumph of the king, but a dramatic episode during a boar hunt. A strong dynamic quality is achieved through a complex combination of different techniques of chasing and engraving and the use of applied elements, which served to create a relief of varying heights. The restless interplay of gilt enhances the dramatic effect.

PLATE
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 23 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The plate with the representation of a "tigress" is reminiscent of a piece of brocade or embroidery, especially in the minute depiction of the details of the raised parts of the relief. The beast combines the features of the tiger and the lion; the plants are even more difficult to identify. A realistic scene is introduced into the conventional composition: against a background of mountains beneath the feet of the animal is shown a dog hunting for birds. One of the birds is flapping its wings, ready to fly; the other, scarcely discernible against the background of a rock, is feeding, unconscious of the danger.

PLATE
Iran, 7th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 26 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

A ruler amid his servants and musicians is depicted. The conventional figures and the amazingly accurate rendering of details form an interesting combination. The vessels in the picture are easily identified as Sassanian silver ewers. The ornamental pattern on the dress of the ruler is similar to the design in the medallion on the plate with the "tigress." The goddess with diadem in her hand and the servants who have tied up their mouths, lest the sacred person of the king should be defiled by their breath, are figures characteristic of Sassanian art, despite the fact that the plate postdates the fall of the Sassanian dynasty. The crown and the attire of the prince contain details represented on art objects dating back to the late seventh century.

PLATE
Iran, 4th century
Partially gilt. Diameter: 23 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

The silver plate with the representation of the Shahanshah (King of Kings) Shapur II (AD 309-379), a masterpiece of Iranian art, belongs to the Sassanian period (AD 221-651). The design in low relief was executed by hollowing out the ground with subsequent finishing with a chisel and poin¨ons. Additional elements are soldered onto the plate, giving separate parts of the design greater relief. Two successive scenes are portrayed in one composition: the battle with a lion, and the victory of the king. The form of the crown, which is well known from designs on coins, permits us to identify the hunter as Shapur II.

JUG
Iran, 6th-7th century
Partially gilt. Height: 14.5 cm
The Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

In the Hermitage collection of Sassanian silverware there are two objects coming from the same workshop; a small jug with figures in relief bordered by foliage, and a poly-lobed bowl with griffons. The two vessels are distinguished by sumptuous decor and rather crude execution of details. All the designs are embossed from the back. A frieze of senmuros (mythical creatures) surrounds the neck of the jug. On the other side of the body of the jug there is a hunter killing a tiger with a sword and a man tearing open the jaws of a boar.