Delights of the Cup: Materiality, Function, and Reception of Late Antique Iranian Silver Vessels

Authors

Arvin Maghsoudlou, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow

Subject Area

Art History/Criticism/Conservation

Abstract

This dissertation aims to reassert the role of materiality in the interpretation of silver vessels produced in the Iranian world during the Sasanian and early Islamic periods (c. 300–900 CE). It argues that the material qualities of silver vessels, along with the sophisticated processes employed in their making, profoundly contributed to the fascination inspired by these objects throughout history. This research also attends to the questions of function and reception. Particularly, it explores how silver vessels were used and physically engaged with in their original setting. This emphasis on the objects’ practical and tangible dimensions leads to a deeper appreciation of their multi-sensory affordances. Furthermore, this dissertation foregrounds a transcultural and transhistorical approach to the study of Iranian silver vessels. As the objects crossed the temporal and geographical boundaries of late antique Iran, their original iconographic significance was often lost, while they adopted new meanings and, in many cases, new functions. Yet, this process of recontextualization did not impact the allure that stemmed from the objects’ material and technical brilliance. This study argues that the transcultural fascination with the materiality of silver vessels is key to unravelling their long-term currency across the wider Eurasian expanse. This dissertation presents the first comprehensive reevaluation of late antique Iranian silver vessels in over four decades and the first art historical analysis of their material, technical, and sensory dimensions.

Degree Date

Summer 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Art History

Advisor

Stephanie Langin-Hooper

Second Advisor

Sussan Babaie

Third Advisor

Linda Komaroff

Fourth Advisor

Michael Seymour

Fifth Advisor

Abbey Stockstill

Number of Pages

309

Format

pdf

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Recommended Citation

Maghsoudlou, Arvin, "Delights of the Cup: Materiality, Function, and Reception of Late Antique Iranian Silver Vessels" (2025). Art History Theses and Dissertations. 25.
https://scholar.smu.edu/arts_arthistory_etds/25