Rhyton terminating in the forepart of a wild cat

Rhyton terminating in the forepart of a wild cat

Unknown artist

Details

Dimensions
11 3/16 × 5 3/16 × 11 7/8 in. (28.4 × 13.1 × 30.2 cm)
Origin
Parthian
Holding institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund; Enid A. Haupt, Mrs. Donald M. Oenslager, Mrs. Muriel Palitz and Geert C. E. Prins Gifts; Pauline V. Fullerton Bequest; and Bequests of Mary Cushing Fosburgh, Edward C. Moore and Stephen Whitney Phoenix, by exchange, 1979

Art Genome Taxonomy

8 tags

Subject Matter

  • Animals Both · 99%

    The title identifies a wild cat, the catalog lists cats as a subject, and the lower end visibly takes the form of a feline forepart with a head, ears, open mouth, forelegs, and paws.

  • Flora Both · 90%

    Grapes are listed as a cataloged subject and grape clusters with leafy or vine-like forms are visible in the gilded decoration on the animal body and upper band.

Visual Qualities

  • Curvilinear Forms Visual · 99%

    The long body follows a pronounced sweeping curve from the broad rim to the animal-form termination.

  • Highly Detailed Visual · 92%

    The feline head, paws, grape ornament, bands, and rim are rendered with extensive modeled and raised detail.

Medium and Techniques

  • Gold Leaf and Gilding Both · 95%

    The medium is recorded as mercury gilding, and localized warm yellow-gold areas are visibly present in the ornament.

Time Periods

  • Ancient Art Metadata · 98%

    The object is dated circa the 1st century BCE, placing it within the catalog's ancient-art period.

Materials

  • Silver Metadata · 99%

    The museum records the primary material as silver.

Tableware, Vessels, and Objects

  • Vessel Metadata · 99%

    The museum classifies the object as a rhyton, and the image clearly shows a hollow vessel with a broad open rim.

Source & rights

Unknown artist. Rhyton terminating in the forepart of a wild cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.