rhyton BM-1968-0422.21

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:618-906
Materials:stoneware
Technique:moulded
Subjects:animal
Dimensions:Diameter: 10 centimetres (maximum) Height: 9 centimetres

Description:
White porcelain octogonal rhyton with iron-brown highlights; supported on an animal head., probably a lion with its two forelegs (right one raised), open mouth, curled tongue and pointed ears. Moulded in two parts, some of the eight panels are decorated with figures wearing Central Asian costume, including beaded borders and roundels. The thinness of the body and whiteness of the material place this piece amongst the world’s earliest porcelains.
IMG


Comments:Rawson 1992:The rhyton shape and its decoration were borrowed from Iran and Central Asia. It is likely that this example refers to a metal prototype, for in silver the flat sides, borders of small dots and the relief figures would have been easy to work.