#rhyton
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patrickkapty.bsky.social
Caprid Rhyton
lapis lazuli, gold
c. 500 BCE
Achaemenid Persia

#handmade #carved #lapislazuli #stone #gold #caprid #horned #animal #rhyton #chalice #goblet #Achemenid #Persia #culture #ancientart #art #ancient #politics #power #empire #imperial #image #propaganda #display #wealth #ancientpersia
Riton in lapislazuli e oro Collection: Abegg-Stiftung - Achemenid Persia • 5th century BC Carved in the deep blue of lapislazzuli and adorned with gold details, this rhyton takes on the form of a powerful caprid, depicted in a collected pose as the body of the vase rises behind its shoulders. The contrast between the intense stone and the luster of gold returns an object of extraordinary elegance, designed to combine ritual function and strong visual impact. Rhyta like this were used during libations and ceremonial banquets in the royal courts of ancient Persia. The gesture of pouring and drinking became part of a symbolic choreography, in which the vessel was not just a container, but a means between the earthly power, the sacred and the natural world. The animal form indicated strength, protection and fertility, central values in the Persian imaginary. In the Achemenian period (around 550-330 BC), luxury objects played a fundamental role in the representation of imperial power. Precious materials like lapislazzuli - imported from far-flung regions of Central Asia - and gold underscored the empire's breadth and control of trade routes. Rhyta were employed in elite ritual contexts or offered as diplomatic gifts, strengthening hierarchies, alliances and the divine legitimacy of the sovereign.
October 12, 2026 at 3:13 PM
nataliehaynes.bsky.social
Perseus trying to work out what to do… (lovely faience rhyton in the foreground)
October 12, 2026 at 10:15 AM
chapps.bsky.social
This Phrygian painted terracotta rhyton is in the shape of a sacrificial bull's head, and painted in laurel garlands, ceremonial bands, and ribbons. It was probably used in libation rituals. The form Persian rhyta made of metal, e.g. silver or gold.🏺 1/

425-375 BCE. 📸 me
#MuseoArqueológicoNacional
A rhyton (drinking/libation vessel) shaped like a bull's head. It is adorned with infulae (ceremonial bands), laurel branches, and vittae - ornaments associated with sacrificial rites - rendered in matte red and black paint that stand out against the white slip used to depict the animal's coat. This polychrome Phrygian rhyton was used in libation rituals to pour wine into a patera or phiale (libation bowls) through a small opening at the bottom of the vessel, corresponding to the animal's mouth. Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, Spain
October 8, 2026 at 5:57 PM
witwarrior.bsky.social
Amazing that those ears are intact if the rhyton contained alcohol.
October 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
pocketdisco.bsky.social
Go to pottery class and make your own. Here’s one I made earlier. Not sure if it’s a leg or a boot but it holds plenty of beer
A smoke fired stoneware rhyton (drinking vessel) in the shape of a leg and foot, made by yours truly
October 10, 2026 at 6:53 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Vessels of this type did not appear in Greece until the 5th century BCE, following the Greco-Persian wars. This type of decoration is completely new to me - not Greek, and not the usual red or black-figure style. 🏺 2/

More info on my Flickr account. flic.kr/p/2sFaXeB
Phrygian terracotta rhyton in the shape of a sacrificial bull's head
A rhyton (drinking/libation vessel) shaped like a bull's head. It is adorned with infulae (ceremonial bands), laurel branches, and vittae - ornaments associated with sacrificial rites - rendered in ma...
flic.kr
October 8, 2026 at 5:57 PM
bwallower.bsky.social
Always possible, and there are certainly signs of repair, but it's still a seriously good rhyton!
October 10, 2026 at 5:52 PM
bwallower.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
Alert and sparky, a 4th C BC red-figured rhyton in the form of a horse's head.
From tomb in ancient pre-Roman Peucetian city of Thuriae, one of the largest in Puglia.
Excavated 1957, in Monte Sannace displays in Gioia del Colle museum.
A drinking vessel in the shape of a horse's head with a cup-shaped behind it at one end to the left. It has a handle shown on the bottom of the the cup-shaped section of the vessel, with the head pointed downwards to the right at an angle. Mostly glazed in black, the cup has red-figured warriors with white spears and headbands, and red decoration running round the top and the intersection with the head. The horse has a thin bridle in a yellow-gold colour, a wide open red eye and ears standing up slightly forward.
October 9, 2026 at 8:27 AM
chapps.bsky.social
Yes, during this time period there was a cultural syncretism, a blending of East Greek and Phrygian pottery styles. This shows Phrygian painting style on a rhyton that is nominally Eastern Greek (derived from Persian styles). Could be wholly from either culture.
October 9, 2026 at 2:59 AM
chapps.bsky.social
Well, as you say, there’s at least a thousand year separation of the two objects. Of course, painted vegetal designs on ceramic can look very similar from one culture to the next. The rhyton is reflecting the garlands and ribbons placed on a bull before sacrifice.
October 9, 2026 at 3:01 AM
jake113.bsky.social
Have you ever seen a cup that just _gets_ you?
A photograph of an Attic rhyton, rim-down and shaped and painted to resemble the head of an ass, on a glass shelf in the British Museum in London. Curved lines radiate from the one visible eye, with the mouth open as though it were screaming.
October 2, 2026 at 9:42 PM
kardomah.bsky.social
Dionysus’ Donkey

A donkey amphora for oil, carrying a wine amphora on each side

and a donkey-headed rhyton; a drinking cup that could not be set down while it still contained wine

riowang.com/2026/07/dion...
September 15, 2026 at 9:22 AM
metancieneast.bsky.social
Rhyton in the shape of an ibex https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325695
Gift of Edward and Fay Safani, 1964
September 14, 2026 at 11:27 AM
metancieneast.bsky.social
Rhyton terminating in the forepart of a wild goat https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326622
Purchase, Fletcher, Pfeiffer and Rogers Funds, and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1979
September 8, 2026 at 5:33 PM
alaintruong.bsky.social
Rhyton en forme de tête de lionne, période néopalatiale minoenne (vers 1650-1500 avant J.-C.) © Musée archéologique d'Héraklion, Crète.

www.alaintruong.com/2026/09/rhyt...
September 5, 2026 at 3:07 AM
carausius286.bsky.social
This magnificent rhyton is in the shape of a lioness’s head. It was found at the palace of Knossos & is made from a very fine limestone that can appear - in certain light - as somewhat translucent. It is craftsmanship of the highest order.

🕰️C17th-16thBC
🏛️📷 Heraklion Archaeological Museum
August 30, 2026 at 7:20 AM
flaroh.bsky.social
The Minoan Bull Leaper postcard prints and Bull Rhyton sticker have arrived! Available until Aug 31 ☺️ Patreon.com/flaroh
Photo of me holding the print and sticker
August 29, 2026 at 5:53 PM
ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social
🐕 Detail from Dog beneath bamboo, 1931, Qizong Zhang (c.1931). Ink and colour on silk, 81.28 x 40.64 cm. EA1967.13

🐕 Mycenaean dog's head rhyton, decorated with painted chevrons, c. 1300-1200 BCE. Ceramic, 16.8 cm (length). AN1896-1908.AE.298
AN1896-1908.AE
August 26, 2026 at 7:01 AM
ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social
Are you ready for some paws-itvely lovely content?

To celebrate International Dog Day, we want to give a round of a-paws to the dogs in our collection.

🐕 Dog from sitting on a table, 1874, Richard Samuel Chattock (1825–1906). Etching print, 7.5 x 7.4 cm. WA1995.58.1
An etching of a dog from sitting on a table by Richard Samuel Chattock An ink and colour painting of a sleeping dog underneath bamboo. A ceramic Mycenaean dog's head rhyton. Greenware burial figure of a dog
August 26, 2026 at 7:01 AM
cmagreekroman.bsky.social
Ram-Head Rhyton https://clevelandart.org/art/1988.8
On the bowl three men recline at a drinking party (or symposium): a youth wearing a kidaris (a flapped Scythian hat) plays double pipes as a lyre hangs on the wall behind him; a bearded man holds a kylix in his extended right hand; and another bearded man holds a large skyphos to his chest. Before the heads of each symposiast is an identical nonsense inscription. Flanking the handle in the zone to the left, a satyr plays double pipes; in the zone to the right a maenad dances.
August 22, 2026 at 12:02 PM
bwallower.bsky.social
#FindsFriday
Given that she eats anyone in sight, having sea monster Scylla - w her curvy ketos tail + dogs springing from her body - on your drinking vessel (rhyton) might be seen as a curious choice....
Important piece by Magna Graecia-era Gruppo del Negro potters, 330-320BC
Matera, Basilicata
A tall drinking vessel with red-figured painted winged god on the black body of the cup, which has red rim decoration. The stem of the vessel is a 3D figure of Scylla, with a serpentine (ketos)/fishy tail folded in curves behind her. Her right hand touches her head, and her left holds an octopus. From the lower front of her body the head and front legs of a dog emerge from her stomach, and another dog is coming out of her left side (a third can just be seen on her right hip. The square stand of the vessel has a stylised wave design in black on terracotta.
August 21, 2026 at 11:02 AM
luxoraia-achlabo.bsky.social
🎨 New Post: Silver Siege Rhyton: Echoes of Ancient Ritual and Resilience
#aesthetic #artifact #history #AIArt #Gijinka

👇 View Full Illustration:
https://luxoraia.achlabo.com/en/silver-siege-rhyton-echoes-of-ancient-ritual-and-resilience/
Silver Siege Rhyton: Echoes of Ancient Ritual and Resilience
August 21, 2026 at 12:44 AM
fichtel1337.bsky.social
Der Hindu Affengott Hanuman im Gespräch:
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

Japanische Grabfigur (Haniwa) eines Kriegers:
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

Der silberne Rhyton aus dem parthischen Reich:
www.metmuseum.org/de/art/colle...
www.metmuseum.org
August 20, 2026 at 9:06 PM
museumstories.bsky.social
Unknown, Lynx Rhyton, 100–1 B.C. J. Paul Getty Museum.

Text adapted from the J. Paul Getty Museum under CC BY 4.0.
August 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM
museumstories.bsky.social
You can't put it down. A rhyton has no flat base, so once it's full you drink or you pour. This one is gilded silver, 16 inches long, made in northwest Iran around 100 B.C. The lynx at the end has its ears flat and its fangs out.
August 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM