Rhyton #12

This work is a ‘Rhyton’. A rhyton is a ritual cup used in many ancient cultures in the Middle East and elsewhere. They are generally in the shape of an animal, with an opening at the bottom through which one can drink. Scientists believe that the first cultural invention was a kind of container, designed to hold the food gathered and then a kind of transport net. This very first container, a thing containing something else, would have been made by women gatherers using the fibres they found on the spot.
In the same way, the artist works with what she has on hand. To make the rhytons, she uses leather gloves, which she has been collecting for several years, as moulds. The objects obtained by casting in flexible moulds are covered with terra sigillata.