LOT 0254

Amlash Terracotta Horse Rhyton

10TH CENTURY B.C.

14 1/2 in. (2.1 kg, 37 cm).

Hollow-formed rhyton with four splayed legs, curved neck with tall mane, loop handle forming the tail; filler hole to the middle of the back, spout to the chest; incised hatched bands to the mane and flank; some restoration.

Sakae Art Gallery, Nagoya, Japan, 1982.
with Aaron Gallery, acquired from the above.

Accompanied by thermoluminescence analysis report no.N121q65 by Oxford Authentication.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12822-241329.

Cf. for a Parthian pottery horse vessel of similar typology, Christie’s, Antiquities, 1st October 2015, catalogue, London, 2015, no.50, p.35.

Amlash terracotta rhytons, significant objects of this culture, are ancient Near Eastern terracotta vessels, dating back to around 1000 BC, often in the shape of animals, particularly zebu bulls. Rhytons were used for holding and drinking wine or other liquids, and were characterised by their detailed animal forms and often featured incised details.