Rhyton in form of boar's head

Artistattributed to Painter of Louvre MNB 1148 (Greek, active 350-330 BCE)

Place of OriginApulia, Italy

Date340-330 BCE

Dimensions5 3/4 × 8 1/4 × 4 3/8 (14.6 × 21 × 11.1 cm)
Rim Diam: 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm)

Mediummolded and wheel-thrown earthenware with slip-incised decoration

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey and the Latin Students of Donnell Jr. High School

Object number

1988.39

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

Label TextThis drinking vessel was made in two sections, with the lower section molded into the head of a boar and the upper section turned on a potter’s wheel. White slip (clay diluted with water) was added to make the fiercely realistic tusks and saliva, teeth, whiskers, and eyes. Rhyta in the form of animals were popular drinking vessels in ancient Greece. Used for men’s drinking parties, they may refer to the hunting of wild animals by mythical heroes such as Herakles (Hercules). In the city of Tarentum where this cup was made, rhyta were not for daily use but were offerings for tombs, so that the deceased could take part in unending banquets.Published ReferencesRoth, Evan, "Ancient Greek vases: The Toledo Museum of Art," Museum News [AAM], vol. 69, no. 1, Jan./Feb. 1990, p. 39, repr. (col.).

Trendall, A.D. and Alexander Cambitoglon, Second supplement to the red-figured vases of Apulia, London, 1991, pl. 1, p. 181.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Hoffmann, Herbert, Tarentine Rhyta, Mainz, 1966, pp. 52-58, especially nos. 303-304, pls. XXXIV, 1, 2.