- Museum number
- 118844
- Description
-
Fragment of carved limestone corner relief: on one face, a standing guardsman in Persian dress, facing left, wearing pleated headdress, possibly made of felt, holding a spear in both hands, wearing a strung bow with tips ending in bird's heads over his left shoulder, and a tasselled quiver on his back. The second face shows an official in Persian dress holding a staff in his right hand, with his left hand placed over right forearm and facing right.
- Production date
- 6thC BC-5thC BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 58 centimetres
-
Weight: 280 pounds (weighed for 1975 gallery display)
-
Thickness: 21.50 centimetres
-
Width: 33 centimetres
- Curator's comments
-
This piece, like all the sculptures at Persepolis, was originally painted in very bright colours although the only hints of this are several microscopic flecks of Egyptian Blue pigment noted under infrared imaging by Dr G. Verri (2009). A possible fleck of gold paint believed to be ancient was previously noted by Dr Shahrokh Razmjou on one of the figure's shoe ribbons in c. 2003/4 but further observation suggests this may simply have been foreign matter adhering by static and later displaced. A cast of this sculpture is listed as available in the British Museum Facsimile Service 'Catalogue of Replicas from British Museum collections' (n.d.), in the series "Persia".
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Cat. entry for "Alexander the Great and the opening of the world – Asian cultures in transformation" (Svend Hansen, Alfried Wieczorek and Michael Tellenbach, eds)
Sculpture from Persepolis
Persepolis: Apadana, North Staircase, West Wing
Limestone; height 58 cm, width 33 cm, thickness 21.50 cm
British Museum, London, Inv.-Nr. 118844
Obtained at Persepolis in 1811 and presented by George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen in 1818
Fragment of limestone corner relief representing on one face, a standing guardsman in Persian dress, facing left, wearing pleated headdress, possibly made of felt, holding a spear in both hands, wearing a strung bow with tips ending in bird's heads over his left shoulder, and a tasselled quiver on his back. The second face shows an official in Persian dress holding a staff in his right hand, with his left hand placed over right forearm and facing right. This piece, like all the sculptures at Persepolis, was originally painted in very bright colours although the only hints of this are several microscopic flecks of Egyptian Blue pigment noted under infrared imaging.
Literature: R.D. Barnett, “Persepolis”, Iraq 19 (1957), 55-77, pls XV-XXIII (no.21, p. 62, pl. XX: 2); T. Mitchell, “The Persepolis sculptures in the British Museum”, Iran 38 (2000), pp.49-56 (p. 51, pl. XXI.d); J.E. Curtis & N. Tallis (eds), Forgotten Empire: The world of Ancient Persia, London 2005 (cat. 27, p. 71).
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2021 29 May-12 Sep, London, V&A, Epic Iran
2015 – 2016 4 Dec – 29 May, National Museum of Singapore, ‘Treasures of the World’s Cultures’
2012 Nov - 2013 Feb, Kunsthalle, Bonn, Germany, Treasures of the World's Cultures
2012 April - August, Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, 'Treasures of the World’s Cultures'
2010-2011 3 Dec - 3 May, Madrid, Canal de Isabel II, 'Alejandro Magno: Encuentro con Oriente'
2010 21 Mar - 1 Nov, Leobon, Kunsthalle Museumcenter, 'Alexander der Grosse und die offnung der Welt
2009-2010 2 Oct - 21 Feb, Mannheim, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Alexander der Grosse und die offnung der Welt'
2006 7 Mar-11 Jun, Barcelona, Fundacion La Caixa, 'L'imperi Oblidat'
2005-2006 Sept-Jan, London, BM, 'Forgotten Empire'
1995-2005 17 Nov-5 Dec, BM, G52/IRAN/wall
1994 16 Jun-23 Dec, BM, G49/IRAN
1975-1990 Jul-end, BM, Iranian Room
1958, BM, Persian Landing (also known as the North-West Landing), 4
BM, Iranian Room, bay 14.
Probably displayed in the first Iranian Room, 1937/38
Probably displayed in the Assyrian Transept (west wall), 1865-1937/38.
Probably displayed in the Grand Central Saloon, middle shelf in recess on the left side of the gallery; presumably corresponding to one described in the Synopsis as "Fragments of two bas-reliefs ... representing two soldiers wearing long dresses", autumn 1831-1865.
- Condition
- Incomplete.
- Acquisition date
- 1818
- Acquisition notes
- Obtained at Persepolis in 1811 and presented by the 4th Earl of Aberdeen in 1818.
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 118844
- Registration number
- 1818,0509.3
