A silver dish with applied basal ring, incised line below the inner rim, high-relief profile image of an ibex advancing on an uneven surface; the basal ring with pointillé inscription, possibly indicating the weight of the piece; the ibex gilded, with hatched areas to the neck, chest and legs, curled horns, two billowing streamers attached to the rear of the neck and trefoil before the chest; the baseline formed from six bell-shaped humps with punched detailing of leaves and flowers, each with a hatched outline; reserved tree with fruit and leaves, two birds perched on the curved trunk; Pahlavi inscription on the footed base edge reading: 'YLP(a)S HWsh'; YL for 'Champion (pahlavan); P(a)S: Protector, defender; HWSh (khosh) Happiness and Goodness', making the full meaning: 'Champion Defender of Good'.

PROVENANCE:
Property of a London gentleman; part of his family collection since the late 1970s; accompanied by a large professional photograph and a report of metallurgic analytical results, written by Pieter Meyers of Los Angeles, California, dated 3 January 2011; and X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate number 00909-2017WB.

FOOTNOTES:
Although the Sassanian empire was centered in Mesopotamia, it played a major role in religious, political, and visual culture in the Byzantine and early Islamic eastern Mediterranean. The empire's early years were marked by the emergence of key institutions and cultural developments that would shape Sassanian culture for several centuries.These include complex court ceremonies, diplomatic relationships with Rome and, later, Constantinople, the state-sponsored practice of Zoroastrianism, and the luxury production of silks and silver plate.