Stone bull's-head rhyton
Λ1368
Stone (Jasper, Rock crystal, Serpentinite), Shell
Restored on the left side and the horns, which were probably of gilded wood
Height: 0.20 m. (from mouth to top of head)
Knossos
Little Palace
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan ΙI period.:
1600 - 1500 BC:
Gallery:
VIIICase:
79Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cultPalace of Knossos: Stone Cult Vessels
Description
Stone bull’s-head rhyton. The bull is an emblematic religious symbol of the Minoan world. This rhyton is a masterpiece of Minoan art. The head and neck are plastically rendered, while details such as the hair are shown in relief or rendered with incisions. The eyes are inlaid with rock crystal and jasper, while the muzzle is highlighted with inlaid white shell. The crystal preserved in the right eye has a concave back which magnifies the pupil, giving the animal a lively expressiveness. The result is strikingly naturalistic. The rhyton is a cult vessel for making libations, that is, liquid offerings. The liquid was poured into a hole in the back of the neck and ran out of a hole in the bull’s mouth. A similar stone vessel has been found at the palace of Zakros. Similar clay objects were already in use in the Protopalatial period. Stone bull’s-head rhyta, however, date from the Neopalatial period and are magnificent attestations to the high level of palatial, probably Knossian art on the one hand, and palace cult on the other.Bibliography:
Evans, Α. The Tomb of the Doubles Axes and Associated Groups and Pillar Rooms and Ritual Vessels of the “Little Palace” at Knossos, London, 1914, 80. Hood, S. Η Τέχνη στην Προϊστορική Ελλάδα, Athens, 1993, 174. Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki, Ν. Το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου, Athens, 2005, 150-151. S. Mandalaki, "Ο Ταύρος ως Σύμβολο Δύναμης." In S. Mandalaki and G. Rethemiotakis, Μινωικός κόσμος. Ταξίδι στις απαρχές της Ευρώπης, Heraklion, 2015, 138, 140-141.Author:
E. S.Photographs' metadata