HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Rhyta were designed to aerate wine, and were fashioned from a number of materials, including gold, silver, bronze, stone, terracotta and glass (see p. 241 in K. Lapatin, Luxus: The Sumptuous Arts of Greece and Rome). The use of the rhyton was in and of itself, a demonstration of refined elegance. A nobleman would lift the rhyton aloft, slightly above his head, tilt it forward so that the wine spurted out of the spout and into a drinking cup or bowl. For related rhyta with the forepart of a gazelle, see p.42, no. 24 in J. Fraser, Luxury and power: Persia to Greece, The British Museum, 2023