“We have to imagine some princely banquet where this was used,” said Ebbinghaus. The 1610–1620 German automaton, crafted of silver, can move on its own with the help of a mechanical base. Vessels dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries include a 1771 English silver cup in the shape of a fox head, and an elaborate “Diana and stag” automaton from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Later objects in the show testify to the enduring popularity of animal-shaped vessels. The Assyrian lion, which dates to the second millennium B.C., has a spout on its back, indicating it may have been “emptied by drinking tubes,” said Ebbinghaus. rhyton.Ī painted terracotta lion on loan from the Louvre suggests that ancient civilizations sometimes may have favored straws for sipping. ![]() The thirsty reveler who took a sip would have had his or her face covered by the animal.Įbbinghaus talks about the mythological creature depicted in this fifth– to fourth-century B.C. terracotta cup, on loan from the British Museum, that resembles the head of a braying donkey. and 800 A.D., with objects that shed light on feasting practices, religious rituals, burial rites, statecraft, power, privilege, migration, trade, and, perhaps most importantly, fun.Ī Greek penchant for play is captured in a range of animal-shaped mugs on view, including a 520–500 B.C. The core of the exhibit focuses on vessels from the ancient Mediterranean and Near East between 2000 B.C. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art and head of the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at Harvard Art Museums. “This exhibition really is about people coming together in different senses at a feast, at a celebration, but also coming together internationally and exchanging drinking vessels and thereby also ideas and concepts,” said the show’s curator, Susanne Ebbinghaus, George M.A. In addition to Harvard-held vessels, the show includes loans from around the world. The show, “ Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings,” features a range of beasts, including rams, bulls, lions, boars, birds, and even a hippopotamus, fashioned from silver, terracotta, bronze, glass, and other materials. Nearly 60 examples of animal-shaped rhyta, mugs, cups, pitchers and other drinking objects make up a new Harvard Art Museums exhibit that celebrates artistry and the exchange of ideas across cultures and centuries. Some rhyta were part of sacred ceremonies, while others were buried in tombs or even used in statecraft. Later, Persian Empire vessels were associated with feasts and would have been poured into a cup, or directly into the mouth, offering revelers a swift (and messy) route to intoxication. were hardly the only occasion for the beastly vessels.īased on the Greek word rheo, meaning “to flow,” the rhyton first appeared in Bronze Age Greek civilizations and was mainly used for pouring liquid offerings during religious rituals, frequently out of the hole in the animal’s muzzle onto an altar or the ground. William R.If you were throwing a feast during the Achaemenid Persian era and looking to impress your guests, nothing but a rhyton, animal-shaped and brimming with wine, would do. “Fill up the goblet and reach to me some!ĭrinking makes wise, but dry fasting makes glum.” “Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.” – Bibleģ. “Let me sip from the goblet of worth.”– Sean Kirkpatrick ClancyĢ. In the long run, that is what will stand you in best stead.ġ. ![]() Archaic: A drinking bowl without handles.Ī simple tip: always try to drink from the goblet of truth. Goblet carries the following dictionary definitions:ġ. A drinking vessel, such as a glass, that has a stem and base.Ģ. Goblets are used often in fact they are used most often to drink wine.Īnd the word has been really made famous by Harry Potter, hasn’t it: ‘Harry Potter & The Goblet of fire’, bet most of you must have read the book or seen the movie.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |