AN EXTREMELY RARE ROCK CRYSTAL ‘BOVINE HEAD’ RHYTON WITH GOLD COVER, LIAO DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Published:
1. Myrna Myers (ed.) & Filippo Salviati (auth.), The Language of Adornment. Chinese Ornaments of Jade, Crystal, Amber and Glass, Paris, 2002, no. 74.
2. Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, Two Americans in Paris: A Quest for Asian Art, Paris, 2016, p. 162, no. 273.
3. Marie Favereau (ed.) et al, Les mongols et le monde, L’autre visage del ’empire de Gengis Khan, Musée d'histoire de Nantes & Chinggis Khaan National Museum, 2023, p. 49.

Exhibited:
1. Pointe-à-Callière Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Montréal, 17 November 2016-19 March 2017.
2. Kimbell Art Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Fort Worth, Texas, 4 March-19 August 2018.
3. Musée d’Histoire de Nantes, Les Mongols et le monde. L’autre visage de l'empire de Gengis Khan, 14 October 2023-5 May 2024.

China, 10th-11th century. Carved as a deep libation vessel, the cup with a prominent two-horned bovine head projecting from one side to serve as a handle and resting on a flat base. The cover, crafted from a thin sheet of gold, worked in repoussé with two makara depicted in mutual pursuit against a ring-punched ground, secured by two gold chains.

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Good condition with expected ancient wear. The crystal with natural inclusions and fissures, few minuscule nicks, and light scratches. The gold with light dents and a fine, naturally grown, reddish patina overall.

Weight: 183.8 g
Dimensions: 10.8 cm

The rhyton, derived from the Greek word for ‘flowing water’, was a type of drinking vessel used both in daily life and on ritual occasions. In its simplest form, it resembled the horn of an animal, while more elaborate examples concluded in the head of an animal, serving as a symbolic guardian of the liquid contained within. A spout at the mouth allowed for the controlled outpouring of its contents.

Rhyton-shaped cups appeared in China as early as the Western Han dynasty. These vessels were among the many foreign forms introduced following the imperial expansions under Emperor Wu in the late 2nd century BC, a period characterized by increased contact with distant regions through the extensive network of routes collectively known as the Silk Road. Despite their origins in antiquity, rhyta continued to be employed as drinking vessels in Central Asia well into the 8th century. This is attested by Sogdian mural paintings discovered at Panjakent which depict banquet scenes with princely figures seated cross-legged and drinking from such vessels, as illustrated in Paola D’Amore and Giovanna Lombardo (eds.), Oxus. Tesori dell’Asia Centrale, Rome, 1993, p. 50, no. 70.

Literature comparison:
This extremely rare vessel bears relation to excavated and published Liao Dynasty rock crystal vessels and ornaments together with gold covers, see for example various small rock crystal cups exhibited in Gilded Splendor. Treasures of China's Liao Empire (907-1125), New York, 2006, Catalogue nos.101a-c. See also an agate container also with a gold circular cover, excavated at Chaoyang in Liaoning province illustrated in Gems of China's Cultural Relics, Beijing, 1997, Catalogue no.142. The present libation cup bears close stylistic relation to a bovine-shaped agate libation cup, with gold snout, excavated from Prince Bin's treasure hoard, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Sekai bijitsu taizenshu: toyo hen, Vol.IV, Tokyo, 1997, pl.52.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 5 November 2009, lot 252
Price: USD 4,800 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare rock crystal ‘bovine head’ libation cup and gold cover, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and hinged gold cover. Note the much smaller size (5 cm).