6th-7th century AD. A shallow carved rock crystal dish with rounded rim, raised rib to the inner face and groove to the outer face, central carved image of an advancing gryphon with one foreleg raised on a multilinear baseline; Sassanian or early Umayyad workmanship; mounted on a custom-made stand. 400 grams total, 17cm including stand (6 3/4"). London art market; acquired from Antiquities and Tribal Art, sale no.2, 086, Phillips, London, 25 July 1984, lot 163; accompanied by a copy of the relevant Phillips catalogue pages; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10842-178697.