Cleveland Museum of Art
Rhyton
- Date
- c. late 600s–early 700s
- Medium
- silver with gilded foil
- Culture
- Central Asia (Sogdiana) or Tibet
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 154258
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
The form of the animal-headed rhyton as a drinking vessel and the use of silver are evidence of cultural exchange with Persia, while the lush, luxurious quality of the design and the form of the lions and curling dragon on one side of the decanter reveal an awareness of Chinese forms. Poured into the large opening at the top of the horn, wine then flowed out through the small tube held between the parted lips of a bovine-like animal. To keep from spilling, drinkers could stop the flow of the liquid by holding a thumb over the lower aperture. This drinking horn was a communal vessel which guests would pass around to share wine at parties.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Clara Taplin Rankin
- Provenance
- ?–1988: (David Tremayne, Ltd., London, United Kingdom, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, as gift from Mrs. Clara Taplin Rankin) | 1988–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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