Rhyton

A ceremonial vessel known as rhyton in the form of a horse's head. The head was made in a mould, the handle would have been attached after. The representation of the horse is very realistic: he has his mouth open and the tongue is protruding, the teeth can also be seen, his nostrils are wide and the eyes wide in a black slip and outlined in white paint. Two of the strong facial muscles beneath the eyes and before the nostrils add to the realism of the representation. The ears are long hollow cavities at the top fot he head. The reins of the horse are also painted in black slip and have white painted dots all along them.The overal surface of the head's horse is in pink clay, while the upper part of the vessel which would been used for pouring in the wine is cylindrical with the eges opening up at the top. In between the mould made head of the horse and the cylidrical top of the vessel there is a decorative band of palmettes with a central anthemion ( flower ) to the front of the band. The cylidrical part of the vessel has a decorative band of red figures on a black background The figures are all men from the left hand side area a warrior holding a shield and a spear, in front of him a man in a locak cloak facing to his right and in a dramatic posewith the left leg bent and the right forward, right hand raised and pointing to the right of the decorative band. In between these first two men there is a decorative cross in red in the background. The centre scene of the band in between the ears has a man standing to the left wearing a chlamys and the flat hat petasos on his head and with his left hand leaning on a long stick. He may represent Hermes. To his right is a man with a beard and long hair, he wears a long cloak and an himation, his left leg is bent and the right leg at the back, his back seems to be bent as he is moving forward, perhaps dancing, his left hand is raised in front of his head and he is holding a long object or pouring vessel, perhaps he represents Dionysyus. The right side of the band shows two more standing figures both dressed in long cloaks, the first one holding an offering objects and the one behdin hims with bent back and holding a spear in his right hand, the left hand also holding an offering. Other details of the horse such as the top edges of the ears and the front groove of he face in between the eyes as well as the muzzle also have thick applied white paint. There are several cracks at the sides of the mouth