Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

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)
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
Iran
Date:
1st century BCE-1st century CE
Period:
Parthian period
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)
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)
Topic:
casting  Search this
gilding  Search this
chasing  Search this
hammering  Search this
punching  Search this
metal  Search this
silver  Search this
cat  Search this
Parthian period (247 BCE - 224 CE)  Search this
Iran  Search this
Ancient Near Eastern Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Accession Number:
S1987.131
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
On View:
Sackler Gallery 21: Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3d6fa348d-2c01-40f6-90f2-68629a1db3ce
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_S1987.131