A STONE EWER IN THE FORM OF A RAM, NORTHERN IRAN, PARTHIAN CULTURE, 247 BC–AD 224

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A STONE EWER IN THE FORM OF A RAM, NORTHERN IRAN, PARTHIAN CULTURE, 247 BC–AD 224 Expert’s note With its rounded body, short legs, and boldly projecting ram’s head, this remarkable little ewer translates into stone a vessel form far better known in pottery. Liquid was introduced through the neck rising from the animal’s back and poured through its pierced muzzle, ingeniously combining a functional vessel with a sculptural animal form. Ram-shaped pouring vessels with a similar dorsal filling neck, loop handle, and elongated muzzle are particularly associated with the Early Iron Age cultures of northern Iran, conventionally termed Amlash, circa 1200-700 BC, while related zoomorphic vessels continued to be produced during the Parthian period. The present ewer is particularly rare for its execution in stone, as surviving examples are overwhelmingly ceramic. Compare a related Amlash pottery vessel with a ram-shaped head, 1200-800 BC, 35 cm, in the World Museum, Liverpool, accession number 1967.216. Compare a related Parthian pottery vessel with a ram-shaped head, c. 1st-2nd century AD, 30.2 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 65.5.3. Finely carved and well hollowed, the ovoid body supported on four short, subtly tapering legs and extending into an elegantly arched neck. The head is powerfully modeled with prominent eyes, small ears, and massive spiral horns, the long tubular muzzle pierced to form the pouring spout. A short cylindrical filling neck with gently flared rim rises from the back and is joined to the rounded body by a sturdy loop handle. The mottled green stone with large areas of creamy calcification, and brown inclusions. Dimensions: Length 10 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 June 2000, lot 503 Price: USD 6,462 or approx. EUR 11,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related form. Note the different material and size (22.2 cm) Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 10 December 2004, lot 416 Price: USD 10,755 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related form. Note the different material and size (19 cm).

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