Ceremonial bowl with Zoroastrian themes

The Zoroastrian religion originated in ancient Iran (Persia). On this bowl are scenes of victories of Zoroastrian rulers from ancient Persian history, scenes that appear on rock reliefs in Iran. On one side is shown the triumph of the Emperor Darius (550–486 BCE) over a rival. Nearby is the winged disk, a symbol associated with the Zoroastrian supreme deity. On the other side is a later Persian emperor humbling a defeated Roman ruler. Both scenes are based on ancient Persian sculptured reliefs of these events, which the maker of the bowl may have seen in drawings, photographs, or other artworks.

Many centuries ago some Zoroastrians migrated from Iran to western India, where they were often known as Parsis, that is, “Persians.” Many Parsis in Mumbai (then Bombay) became leaders in banking and commerce and sometimes sent family members and colleagues to far-off cities as business representatives. Commissioned by a member of a well-to-do Parsi family, this bowl was probably used in religious ceremonies honoring deceased relatives.