Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

A large glazed faience rhyton modeled in the shape of a female head. The color of the faience, originally deep blue, almost entirely disappeared. The white color of the glaze covers the surface. The piece is in very good condition and shows no traces of restoration. The vessel was made from separate modeled pieces and assembled in order to form this beautifully shaped rhyton.

A female head with curly hair, arranged on the neck and ears, occupies the center. A smooth diadem bearing a large loop motif in openwork decorates the forehead. A necklace and earrings complete the adornment.

The diadem's details disappear in the upper part which consists of a high walled pot. The wide mouth of the rhyton is provided with a small handle attached to the back, on the shoulder and the lip.

The lower opening is formed by an animal head with long plated horns. The animal recalls the saiga antelopes represented in Sassanid silverware. Two silver rhyta from the Metropolitan Museum in New York chiefly adopt the form of the antelope's head.

The vessel which forms the upper rhyton is can be related, from a morphological point of view, to a blue faience vase discovered at Haft Tepe, in Khuzestan (Iran; see FUKAI n. 101) not far from Susa (ancient Achaemenid capital). It is dated between the 1st and 3rd century. The blue glaze, perfectly preserved, is applied on the outer and inner vessel. This feature is attested by other faience vases originating in this city and confirms a tradition of glaze applying. This feature is found also on this rhyton which partially retains traces of an extraordinary azure blue, including inside the neck.

The interpretation of the female figures is an important point of discussion in Parthian and Sassanid art. These are dominated by the deities Anihita, the goddess of abundance, rain and fertility, and Nanaya, a native from Mesopotamian, goddess of love and sexuality. Both divinities were closely connected with Inanna/Ishtar.

Anihita appears in many scenes of the king's investiture and was, therefore, closely linked to royalty. She wears a high crown composed of a richly decorated diadem surmounted by vertical elements. The elaborate diadem of the woman depicted on our rhyton could be related to this deity. Unfortunately, the imprecise molding does not enable us to identify the details for certain.

This representation can also be associated with the female dancers represented on Sassanid silverware. The latter seems to be an evocation of happiness, and they hold attributes that often derived from the Dionysian iconography. Borrowing from Western iconographic vocabulary is very common and reflects the exchanges between empires.

The dancers seem to be linked in some way to goddess worship. Some tend to identify them with priestesses, others with personifications of the months or seasons.

The presence of the saiga antelope still accentuates this connection with the sphere of the royalty and the divine, whose interpretation unfortunately remains unknown.

Finally, one can highlight the use of female and animal figures related to containers for wine consumption.

Les Perses sassanides, Fastes d’un empire oublié (224-642), Paris, 2006, p. 119, n. 59.

Hofkunst van de Sassanieden. Het Perzische rijk tussen Rome en China (224-642), Bruxelles, 1993, p. 250-251, n. 98.

SHINJI FUKAI, Ceramics of Ancient Persia, New York, Kyoto, 1981, n. 101, 105.

KRÖGER J., Sasamodoscjer Stuckdekor, Mainz/ Rhine, 1982, pp. 206-207, pl. 86, n. 4.