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Course: The J. Paul Getty Museum > Unit 1
Lesson 4: Functional art from the ancient world and todayVideo
Made in the first century BCE in what is now Iran, this silver Stag Rhyton is not only a beautiful drinking vessel, it was also the ultimate status symbol. So, what's the story behind it? Created by Getty Museum.
Video transcript
In the first century BCE, there was no pizza,
no AC and no modern medicine. But there was wine,
a trading commodity at the time. And the elites, well,
they wanted to look cool drinking. Enter the stag rhyton. A drinking device
used to make wine taste better. This stag rhyton was created in
what is now called Iran. This region had a particularly
tumultuous history. So, let's rewind 300 years
to the fourth century BCE and the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Then the Macedonian Empire. The Seleucid Empire later
forced out by the Parthians. The use of the rhyton
was a continuation of an earlier Achaemenid
Persian well-to-do practice adopted by the Seleucids,
then the Parthians. These rhyta were a status symbol
like the Gucci of antiquity. You can see this convergence of cultures
in the design of the rhyton. For example, notice these floral motifs. They're influenced by Seleucid art. It's lifelike, with hooves outstretched
and hyper realistic veins in its snout. It's got an incised wave pattern
on the lip and inlaid eyes. It's gilded with a punched Aramaic
inscription and a hole here. And that's where the wine pours out. What do you have that combines
function and beauty in a cool way?