Iconographic and Organological Re-reading of the Sasanian Silver Plate Hermitage S-250: A Clock-Face Analysis, Narrative Synthesis with Shahnameh, and Functional Reconstruction of the Angular Harp

This study presents a comprehensive organological and semiotic re-reading of the renowned Sasanian silver plate preserved in the State Hermitage Museum (Inv. No. S-250; 6th–7th century CE). Re-examining the prevailing academic consensus that categorizes this artifact merely as a generic royal banquet scene (Bazm), we demonstrate that the circumferential composition follows a deliberate, chronological "clock-face" narrative trajectory representing a specific, high-profile historical/literary episode: the dramatic introduction and musical performance of the master musician Barbad before King Khosrow II (Parviz), as meticulously preserved in the epic Shahnameh of Ferdowsi (Section 70). Through comparative visual semiotics and practical experimental organology, this research conducts:1. Narrative Directionality: Deciphering the deliberate spatial orientation from the divine/enthronement realm (12–2 o'clock), past royal attendants and ritual feast preparation (3–7 o'clock), to the dynamic musical presentation at 9 o'clock where the harpist is strategically positioned facing the monarch.2. Organological Reconstruction: An in-depth morphological and mechanical analysis of the vertical angular harp (Chang) depicted at 9 o'clock, establishing its 22-string configuration, open-frame structure, skin-covered resonator, tuning-ring (Parcham) mechanism, and realistic playing posture with an angled plectrum (Mezrab).3. Textual Correlation: Correlating the visual elements—including the green garment, the concealed position, and the dramatic astonishment of the king—with Ferdowsi’s account of Barbad’s legendary performance (the melodies of Yazdan-Afarid, Partav-e Farrokh, and Sabz dar Sabz).