Ancient Pendant Set from The Met Museum

Our trio of necklaces interpret a Sasanian stucco wall panel (ca. 6th century A.D.) carved with rich symbols that likely had protective significance. A lunar crescent crowns a group of letters in Persian Pahlavi script, nestled in a pair of feathered wings and encircled by pearls. Monograms became popular designs for stucco wall panels such as the one in the Museum’s collection, commonly decorating the homes and palaces of the Sasanian elite. This particular panel comes from the iwan, or vaulted hall, of a large house at Umm ez-Za’tir.