Parthian Rhyton150 B.C. - A.D. 225

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Assyrian Reliefs

Silver rhyton drinking horn with gilded bands and engraved figural scenes, terminating in a three-dimensional leaping ibex with curved horns and textured shaggy coat

Title: Parthian Rhyton
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 150 B.C. - A.D. 225
Medium: Gilded silver
Dimensions: 6 × 14 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (15.24 × 36.83 × 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Anonymous gift
Accession Number: AC1992.284.1
Classification: Metal
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Ancient
Curatorial Notes: Most likely derived from the custom of forming drinking cups from animal horn, the rhyton was a popular type of vessel in the ancient world, including Iran, where it first appears in ceramics by the second millennium BCE. Some of the most dazzling Persian examples, beginning in the second half of the first millennium BCE, were made of precious metal, with the forepart of an animal forming the protome, and a hole in the front, sometimes in the animal’s chest or mouth, from which the liquid could flow. This spectacular rhyton belongs to the period of the Parthian dynasty (150 BCE–225 CE) and reflects the long-standing tradition and great facility and sophistication of Persian artisans working in silver (see AC1992.152.76 and AC1992.152.82). Here, the protome is in the shape of a lively goat with raised front legs. The naturalism of the goat, with its carefully detailed horns and swirling fleece coat, further animates this hybrid vessel, while the gilding adds color and richness to what was undoubtedly a courtly object.

2025
Selected Bibliography: Mousavi, Ali. Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.

Parthian Rhyton150 B.C. - A.D. 225

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Assyrian Reliefs

Title: Parthian Rhyton
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 150 B.C. - A.D. 225
Medium: Gilded silver
Dimensions: 6 × 14 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (15.24 × 36.83 × 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Anonymous gift
Accession Number: AC1992.284.1
Classification: Metal
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Ancient
Curatorial Notes: Most likely derived from the custom of forming drinking cups from animal horn, the rhyton was a popular type of vessel in the ancient world, including Iran, where it first appears in ceramics by the second millennium BCE. Some of the most dazzling Persian examples, beginning in the second half of the first millennium BCE, were made of precious metal, with the forepart of an animal forming the protome, and a hole in the front, sometimes in the animal’s chest or mouth, from which the liquid could flow. This spectacular rhyton belongs to the period of the Parthian dynasty (150 BCE–225 CE) and reflects the long-standing tradition and great facility and sophistication of Persian artisans working in silver (see AC1992.152.76 and AC1992.152.82). Here, the protome is in the shape of a lively goat with raised front legs. The naturalism of the goat, with its carefully detailed horns and swirling fleece coat, further animates this hybrid vessel, while the gilding adds color and richness to what was undoubtedly a courtly object.

2025
Selected Bibliography: Mousavi, Ali. Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.