Votive Pin with Decorated Disc

A complex mythological scene unfolds on the decorative disc of this silver pin. On the top register, two bearded figures carrying palm fronds and a bird extend a frond to a seated lion-headed man. Below, two figures holding fronds approach a man riding a bull. Two animal-headed beings flank the registers and perhaps hold banners in their hands. A pattern of stylized lotus buds and blossoms decorates the disk’s rim. The scene may represent a Mesopotamian or Iranian myth. The pin was made with the repoussé technique by hammering designs into the back.