Cleveland Museum of Art
Horse-Shaped Drinking Vessel
- Date
- 200–325 CE
- Medium
- silver, partially gilt
- Culture
- Iran, Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE)
- Department
- Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
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 Sasanian Empire, holding their rings of authority.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.
Figurine of a Horse and Rider
Harvard Art Museums
Standing Saddled Horse with Clipped Mane, Cropped and Tied Tail, and Roman-Style Bridle Ornaments
Harvard Art Museums
Royal Horse Inspection
Art Institute of Chicago
Horse figurine
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Nishapur Figural Bowl
Cleveland Museum of Art
A Large Painted Striding Horse
Cleveland Museum of Art
![Siana Cup (Black-Figure Kylix [Drinking Cup]): Horseman and Warriors](https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1965.78/1965.78_web.jpg)
Siana Cup (Black-Figure Kylix [Drinking Cup]): Horseman and Warriors
Cleveland Museum of Art
Ibex Eating
Cleveland Museum of Art
Mounted pipe player, from a three-piece group
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Anahita Vessel
Cleveland Museum of Art
Horse
Art Institute of Chicago
Horse Bit with Winged Ibex Cheekpieces
Cleveland Museum of Art