Not everything that is of cultural significance originates from China. This rhyton was most likely a decorative item that came with the Silk Road from the West, and made its way to Chang’an, the capital of Tang dynasty.
National Treasure 国宝
Agate Rhyton Inlaid With Gold Plug 镶金兽首玛瑙杯
Agate, Gold | Tang dynasty (618-907) | Dimensions – H: 6.5cm, L: 15.6cm, D: 5.6cm | Shaanxi History Museum, Unearthed from Hejiacun Village, 1970. 玉石器｜唐 (公元618年-907年)｜高6.5厘米，长15.6厘米，口径5.6厘米｜陕西历史博物馆，1970年陕西西安南郊何家村出土
In the centuries after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire (550 BC), rhyta — spouted drinking vessels through which liquid flowed and which often terminated in the head or forepart of an animal — spread across the Near East into Central Asia, eventually reaching China. This spread was no doubt facilitated by a number of factors. First, the legacy of the Achaemenid Empire, especially influential to the Parthians and Sasanians, included the association of rhyta with kingship. It is likely, too, that the memory of the Achaemenids inspired their successors to connect rhyta with Iranian identity and religion.
Second, the far-reaching commercial links of the Silk Road encouraged the movement of objects and people over great distances, creating many opportunities for cross-cultural interaction and exchange. Third, rhyta were distinctive and unusual, and therefore exotic, making them valuable as diplomatic gifts, trade goods, even ritual objects. The combination of their distinctive appearance and function as a drinking implement was clearly appealing to a variety of peoples along the Silk Road.
镶金兽首玛瑙杯是丝绸之路上东西方文化交流的物证，原型为来通，公元前2世纪开始流行于西亚，主要用于祭祀和宴飨等礼仪场合。杯体由一整块缠丝玛瑙雕琢而成，杯流为兽首形状并插有金塞。无论材质还是工艺都极力罕见，是迄今考古发现的孤例，反映出唐人对外来文明的好奇、向往与包容。
这件玛瑙杯是用一块罕见的五彩缠丝玛瑙雕刻而成，造型写实、生动，杯体是模仿兽角的形状，杯子的前部雕刻为牛形兽首，双眼圆睁，炯炯有神，刻画的神形皆肖。兽嘴处镶金，起到画龙点睛的作用，其实这是酒杯的塞子，取下塞子，酒可以从这儿流出。头上的一对羚羊角呈螺旋状弯曲着与杯身连接，在杯口沿下又恰到好处地装饰有两条圆凸弦，线条流畅自然。这件酒杯材料罕见珍贵，是极其稀有的缠丝玛瑙，材质纹理细腻，层次分明。工匠又巧妙利用材料的自然纹理与形状进行雕刻，“依色取巧，随形变化”。细微处刻画的惟妙惟肖，栩栩如生，是至今所见唐代唯一的一件俏色玉雕，其选材、设计和工艺都极其完美，是唐代玉器作工最精湛的一件，在我国是绝无仅有的。
这件玛瑙杯的产地目前学术界仍有争议，但其造型是西方一种叫“来通”的酒具却成为专家学者的共识。“来通”是希腊语的译音，有流出的意思，大多做成兽角形。一般在酒杯的底部有孔，液体可以从孔中流出，功能如同漏斗，用来注神酒，当时人们相信用它来注酒可以防止中毒，举起“来通”将酒一饮而尽是向神致敬的表示，因此也常用于礼仪和祭祀活动。这种造型的酒具在中亚、西亚，特别是萨珊波斯（今伊朗）十分常见，在中亚等地的壁画中也有出现。在我国，从唐代以前的图像资料来看，这种酒具常出现在胡人的宴饮场面中，唐朝贵族以追求新奇为时尚，而这件器物的出土也是唐朝贵族崇尚胡风，模仿新奇的宴饮方式的见证。
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
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