Persian Achaemenid Bronze Rhyton - Bull Form

Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 500 BCE. An elegant bronze rhyton finely cast via the lost wax (cire perdue) process with a bull head at the narrow end and a conical body that is elaborately decorated with bands of horizontally set lines, vertical lines, and curvilinear motifs creating a fabulous geometric effect. The head is stylized with upcurved horns, almond-shaped eyes, and a carefully delineated snout. An amazing form imbued with gorgeous green patina that has developed over the ages. Size: 1.6" in diameter at wide end x 8.3" H (4.1 cm x 21.1 cm)

The rhyton form is ancient, developed from a drinking horn, and first seen in Iran during the Amlash period around 1000 BCE. It requires total devotion to drinking, as it has no feet or stopper, so must be held constantly when full of liquid. The bull, as a horned animal, is often linked to human fertility, and was a very coveted decorative motif in the ancient Near East and Central Asia.

Provenance: private California, USA collection, by descent, moved from Germany in 1997, originally collected in the 1970s in Hamburg, Germany

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#156060
Condition Report: Form is well preserved, with wear on surface commensurate with age. Rich patina and deposits with some slight smoothing to details.