Parthian silversmiths often made use of Greek motifs; the theme explored on this repoussé plaque, that of a lion mauling a deer, is commonly found on painted pottery vessels produced by various Mediterranean cultures. The more pronounced Hellenized style, along with the decision to depict both animals in profile rather than frontally, reflect an interest in preserving the Greek heritage passed on to the Parthians from the Seleucid, and interest that was much stronger in the earlier centuries of Parthian rule than in the later periods.

The Parthian aristocracy considered predatory animals attacking their quarry a regal and auspicious motif. Images of lions pouncing on deer in particular continued to be reproduced for many centuries not only in Iran but also in all of Asia Minor, as witnessed by very similar design produced in sixteenth-century Ottoman Turkey.