Rock-crystal rhyton
Λ2721
Stone (Rock crystal)
Mended from many fragments.
Height: 16.5 cm.
Zakros
Palace
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan ΙΒ:
1500 - 1450 BC:
Gallery:
VIIICase:
89Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cultPalace of Zakros. The Treasury of the Shrine
Description
This small rhyton, a true masterpiece of Minoan art, is one of the most valuable cult vessels of the Central Sanctuary of Zakros. It was found in the “Treasury of the Shrine”. The body and neck are made separately. The body of the rhyton is carved from a large block of rock crystal. The collar around the join between neck and body is decorated with gilded ivory discs. The tall, curved handle is formed of fourteen crystal beads threaded on copper wire, and was found almost intact during the excavation, with the beads still in place. The skill of the Minoan craftsman is evident not only from the decorative details of the rhyton but also from the fact that he was able to create such a fine-walled vessel without cracking the particularly hard raw material. The aesthetic perfection of the rhyton is as impressive as the technical skill required to produce it.Bibliography:
Dimopoulou, Ν. "Οι Τέχνες". In S. Mandalaki and G. Rethemiotakis, Μινωικός κόσμος. Ταξίδι στις Απαρχές της Ευρώπης, Heraklion, 2015, 169. Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki, Ν. Το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου, Athens, 2005, 152, 157. Koehl, R.B. Aegean Bronze Age Rhyta. Prehistory Monographs 19. Philadelphia, Penn., 2006, 86. Platon, Ν. Ζάκρος. Το Νέον Μινωικόν Ανάκτορον. Athens, 1974, 122, fig. 71.Author:
E. S.Photographs' metadata