Spouted vessel with lynx protome

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Object Details

Description

Rhyton with slender steep horn rising to outturned and folded-over rim; attached to separately made protome in the form of the head and forepart of a lynx. Ring covers join of horn and protome. Forelegs of animal made separately and set into body. Spout projects from chest of animal between legs. Rim, turned over and gilded on exterior, preserves inscription.

Mouth of lynx open, tongue protruding; tufts of hair shown protruding from each ear. Fur depicted by parallel punched lines.Swirl pattern on shoulders and also on chest above protruding tublar spout. Collar around neck.

Inscriptions

According to a reading by Philipp Gignoux, École des Hautes Études, Paris, the inscription on the rim is in Parthian, and gives the weight of the vessel: "...MN ZWZYN 100 + 60 + 7 = 167 drachma" (letter dated 25 April 1986)

Label

Drinking vessels with a tall horn joined to the protome (forepart) of a lynx, panther, or lion, are sometimes depicted in Hellenistic and Roman art. They are usually identified as objects used in celebrating the cult of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and ecstatic experience, which spread over a wide area of the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia.

Collection

Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Exhibition History

Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran (February 4, 2012 - ongoing)

Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)

Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)

Credit Line

Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Date

1st century BCE-1st century CE

Period

Parthian period

Accession Number

S1987.131

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Vessel

Medium

Silver and gilt

Dimensions

H x W x D: 23.5 x 12.4 x 30.4 cm (9 1/4 x 4 7/8 x 11 15/16 in)

Origin

Iran

On View

East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran

Related Online Resources

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National Museum of Asian Art

Data Source

National Museum of Asian Art

Topic

casting

gilding

chasing

hammering

punching

metal

silver

cat

Parthian period (247 BCE - 224 CE)