Published & Exhibited: Martin Doustar, Kunstkammer. One Hundred Treasures from the Ancient World, Frieze Masters 2017, London, page 30, no. 12.

Iran. Of trumpet form, terminating in the forequarters of a crouching ibex with folded forelimbs, generously excavated eyes above a rounded snout, and alert ears to the sides. The stone vessel unadorned with three simple raised bands to the mouth.

Provenance: A private collection in Brussels, Belgium, acquired circa 1970, and thence by descent. Martin Doustar, Brussels, Belgium, acquired from the above. Martin Doustar is a Brussels-based art dealer and collector whose career spans more than two decades. He began his professional journey in the early 2000s with a focus on Modern Art, developing a keen interest in the ways early twentieth-century artists were influenced by 'primitive' art from Africa and Oceania. Over time, his connoisseurship expanded into archaeological and ethnographic fields, with particular expertise in the ancient arts of the Pacific, Africa, and pre-Columbian America, while also encompassing Asian material culture and modern masterpieces. He is the author of numerous scholarly catalogs and has organized thematic exhibitions on a wide range of subjects.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, natural fissures, small losses, tiny chips and flaking, signs of weathering and erosion, soil encrustations.

Weight: 537.4 g (excl. stand), 428.5 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm (excl. stand), 20.8 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated stand. (2)

The rhyton first appeared in Iran in the 4th Millennium BC and continued to be used throughout the pre-Islamic period. An 11th century Persian dictionary gives the definition of the rhyton as 'a bull or cow formed of pottery, gold or other materials used for the drinking of wine'. However, Hittite texts found in Turkey (circa 1450-1200 B.C.) refer to the use of animal-shaped rhytons for making ritual libations of wine or beer to certain deities. It is quite possible that rhytons were used for both purposes and that deities were being made offerings of drink in imitation of everyday domestic meals. Rhytons carved in stone are rare.

The English word rhyton originates in the ancient Greek. The conical rhyton form has been known in the Aegean region since the Bronze Age, or the 2nd millennium BC. However, it was by no means confined to that region. Similar in form to, and perhaps originating from, the drinking horn, it has been widespread over Eurasia since prehistoric times.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related vessel with an ibex-shaped handle from Choga Mish, Khuzistan, first half of the 2nd millennium BC, in the Tehran National Museum.