A magnificent copper-alloy plate in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin has been the object of considerable controversy and speculation since its debut in 1910, but surprisingly little is known with certainty about it. Initially identified as Persian, for decades it was seen as a uniquely valuable representation of a late Sasanian fire temple, possibly the specific temple of Adhur Gushnap, at the royal site of Takt-i Sulayman. More recently a “post-Sasanian” dating has been suggested, and a variety of scholars have suggested links with Syrian or Iraqi works, and one recent study has proposed a connection with the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
Lawrence Nees has taught at the University of Delaware since 1978, where he is Professor and Chair in the Department of Art History. His books include The Gundohinus Gospels, A Tainted Mantle: Hercules and the Classical Tradition at the Carolingian Court, Early Medieval Art, and the just-published Perspectives on Early Islamic Art in Jerusalem. He served from 2003-2009 on the international Advisory Committee for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries Renovation Project at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and was recently President of the International Center of Medieval Art.