Of heavy cast silver, formed as a naturalistic ram’s head rhyton cup, the plain flaring bowl supported by scrolling leaves at the back, the marks under the base including the date symbol for 1884.



With origins in Mediterranean and Near Eastern antiquity, a rhyton is a tapering cylindrical drinking cup usually in the shape of an animal’s head. Early examples date to the 2nd millennium BCE.

This cup, by the renowned silversmithing firm Gorham, is the only known American revival of a rhyton. Its modeling and casting are unusually sophisticated, reflecting a surge of American metalcrafting ability near the end of the 19th century. Though even by Gorham's standards, this is an exceptionally heavy and detailed sculpture.