A CHASED SILVER CUP WITH GRAPEVINES
Possibly Sasanian or Early Islamic Iran, ca. 500 - 750 AD

Of inverted hemispherical shape, with curved cavetto and straight rim, the interior decorated with a profusion of chased and repoussé motifs encased within beaded bands including a central quatrefoil medallion, encircled by lush scrolling vines with ten ripe grape bunches, and a heart-shaped foliate crown below the rim, with a later-added rectangular small handle pinned to the rim, 14cm diam. and 3.5cm high.

The grape-related decoration on this cup could provide a hint to the use it served in the past. Indeed, in Sasanian times, cups and ewers used to drink and serve wine during banquets often presented grapevines, vine trellis, and even grape harvesting scenes hammered in relief. Vines were also understood as symbols of eternal life, and bear a connection with Zoroastrian beliefs.

The lack of gilding in the present example suggests that the cup was most probably used in a domestic environment, rather than in a courtly gathering. Its specific combination of shape and decorative programme links it to the repertory of Sasanian silverware produced from the late 5th century onward. This period saw the rise of a provincial aristocracy not directly connected with the court and thus, free to commission tableware with iconography inspired by a greater variety of models, including Dionysiac themes and early Byzantine motifs rooted in both the Mediterranean and Central Asian worlds (M. Aimone, The Wyvern Collection: Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, 2020, p. 220). For further comparison and reference, please see two Sasanian vessels with grape-themed decorations in the Wyvern Collection, illustrated in the above-mentioned publication by M. Aimone (cats. 56, p. 214 and 58, p. 220), and also a late Sasanian or Post-Sasanian vase in Iran: Five Millennia of Art and Culture, exhibition catalogue, 2021, p. 127, fig. 5.