A Critical Note on Golden Shipwreck Tang at Asian Civilizations Museum of Singapore

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Research Center for Iranian Dialects and Manuscriptology of RICHTO, Tehran.

Abstract

Obviously, the Sasanian era is one of the most magnificent historical periods of Iran. However, the collapse of the Sasanian Empire and the migration of thousands of Sasanian musicians and artists along with the royal dynasty (Yazdgerd III) became a new chapter in the influence of Iranian art on China and then on Silla and Japan.
The title of this article deals with a critical note on “based golden cup” of the Asian Civilization Museum of Singapore. This cup has been called the “golden shipwreck” object, attributed to the Tang period China, in scholarly published works. The object has been the subject of articles, catalogs, conferences, extensive media and even political programs abroad. The cup reflects eight musicians with eight different musical instruments in hands; each dancer-musician is separated from the next by a string of pearls.
According to reports, the golden shipwreck cup was found from a sunken Chinese ship near Sumatra Island (Indonesia); the date of this event is attributed to the Tang period, the sixth century AD. Also, the destination of the ship has been announced to be Iran, but later the creator of this story changed it to Baghdad during the period (9th AD.) of the early Arab caliphs! In this paper, challenging this story, the author will evaluate this work as a fake object!

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Iran and the Silk Road (according to the works of the National Museum of Iran). (1389). Tehran: National Museum of Iran.
Akbarzadeh, D. (2022). “Portrait of the People of Silla According to the Persian Texts”. Journal of Art History& Criticism. no. 18. PP. 162-173.
Akbarzadeh, D. 2020. “A Note on Sasanian-Buddhist Object at Gyeongju National Museum”. Journal of Ancient Art and Civilization, no. 24, PP. 267-275.
Author. D. 2022. “A Note on Sasanian Glassware and Zoroastrian Sacred Numbers (Sasanian to Post-Sasanian Periods)”. IJAS, PP. 37- 45.
Compareti, M. 2009. “The Last Sasanians in China (Chinese-Iranian Relations)”. In Encyclopaedia Iranica, Eds. E. Yarshater, Online, New York: Columbia University.
Flecker, M. 2010. “A Ninth-Century Arab Shipwreck in Indonesia (the First Archaeological Evidence of Direct trade with China)”. In Shipwreck: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, PP.  101-120. Washington: Smithsonian Museum.
Gulacsi, ZS. 2001. Manichean Art in Berlin Collections (I). Turnhout: Brepols.
Treasury of Dunhuang Musical Heritages (16). 2002. Commercial Press, Hongkong.
Guy, J. 2017.  “The Phanom Surin Shipwreck, a Pahlavi Inscription, and their Significance for the History of Early Lower Central Thailand”. Journal of the Siam Society. no. 105. PP. 179-196.
Hansen, V. 2003. “The Hejia Village Hoard: A Snapshot of China’s Silk Road Trade”.  Orientations, vol. 34. No. 2. PP. 14-19. HK.
Hallet, J. 2010. “Pearl Cups like the Moon”. In Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds. PP. 75-82.  Washington: Smithsonian Museum.
https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_1084369
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/701263
Les Perses Sassanides (Fastes d’un empire oublie 224-642). 2006. Paris: Paris Musees.
 Louis, F.  2010. “Metal Objects in the Belitung Shipwreck”. In Shipwreck: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, PP.  85-91, Washington.
Miho Museum (Catalog). 1997. Miho Museum.
Silk Road (the Surviving Treasures from the Northwest China). 2010. Wenwu, Peking.
Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds. 2010. Washington: Smithsonian.
The Tang Shipwreck: Art and Exchange in the 9th Century. Ed. A. Chong and S. A. Murphy; Singapore: ACM.
 "The treasure trove making waves". BBC News. 18 October 2008.
Journal of Iranian Studies
Volume 22, Issue 44 - Serial Number 44
December 2023
Pages 149-177

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics