This figure, carrying a goatskin filled with beer or wine, was part of a procession of servants sculpted into the walls of the grand staircase of a palace in Persepolis.

The decor of these sumptuous palaces was testament to the great prosperity of the vast Achaemenid Persian Empire and immortalised the power of the Great Kings. This sculpture features servants, carrying platters and drinks, approaching the royal table at the banquet for the great New Year's Eve celebration.

This man carrying a goatskin is wearing a traditional felt hat (bashlyk) from which a few strands of curly hair have escaped onto his forehead. The face is brought to life by the curve of the eyebrow, the almond-shaped eye, the hooked nose, and the thin lips, but the impassive expression – the same on all the figures – conveys the solemnity of the ceremony.