Head of a Sasanian King

From The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, 1983 page 50.

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11 Head of a King
Sasanian, late 4th c. A.D.
Silver; h. 151/2 in. (38.4 cm)

The prestige of the Sasanian dynasty, which ruled over northwestern Iran from the third to the mid-seventh century, was so great that its art was widely imitated in the East and the West. Silver-gilt plates and vases decorated with hunting, ritual, and banquet scenes are among the best-known Sasanian works of art (nos. 10 and 13). Magnificent weapons also exist, with handles and scabbards of gold and silver and blades of iron (no. 12). This powerful head, which may depict the Sasanian king Shapur II (310-379), is raised from a single piece of silver with details chased and in repousse. A true sculpture in silver, it demonstrates the technical proficiency and aesthetic eloquence of Sasanian metal-workers. Fletcher Fund, 1965, 65.126