Image

Black and terracotta cup with a sculpted cow’s head as its base, its top extending into the body of the cup, which is illustrated with men besides large floral motifs.
Black and terracotta cup with a sculpted cow’s head as its base, its top extending into the body of the cup, which is illustrated with men besides large floral motifs.
Detail view of the black and terracotta cup’s neck, showing that it is fluted with illustrations of nude men holding grains and a shield next to floral motifs.
Back view of a black and terracotta cup with a sculpted cow’s head as its base, extending into the cup’s body. Its backside is mostly black, with some wear.
Black and terracotta cup with a sculpted cow’s head as its base, its top extending into the body of the cup, which is illustrated with men besides large floral motifs.
Monochrome photo of a cup with a sculpted cow’s head as its base, extending into the body of the cup, which is illustrated with men besides large floral motifs.
Monochrome photo of a cup with the base in the shape of a cow’s head, its top extending into the fluted body of the cup, which is painted with illustrations of men next to large floral motifs.
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Unknown Maker, Italo-Greek

Drinking Cup (Rhyton)
Now On View

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Italo-Greek

Culture

Italo-Greek

Title

Drinking Cup (Rhyton)

Year

after 350 BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

clay

Geography

Place Made: Greece (now Taranto, Italy); Place Made: Southern Italy, Likely Tarentum

Dimensions

Height: 17.8 cm (7 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

26.166

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

The Greek colony of Tarentum in Southern Italy specialized in the production of drinking cups called rhyta. This terracotta vessel, like other Tarentine rhyta, is more fragile than examples from mainland Greece and was most likely intended for funerary purposes. Although animals were a common choice for depiction in these molded vessels, the bull carried special significance in Southern Italy, where Dionysus was worshipped in the form of a bull as both the god of wine and the favored god of the underworld. The painted satyr on the body of this rhyton also carries Dionysiac attributes and is a follower of the underworld god, suggesting that this vessel was intended for ceremonial use.

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Italo-Greek
Drinking Cup (Rhyton), after 350 BCE
Terracotta; red-figure
Height: 17.8 cm (7 inches)
Museum Appropriation Fund 26.166

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