Pferdekopfprotome

The askos belongs to a group that is represented by a good number of specimens, all found in tombs. Tall cylindrical body with sharply carinated shoulder and lower part. Conical foot. The top of the body is conical, with a knob in the center. On either side of the shoulder there is a spout. One spout is in the form of a horse protome with an upright neck, sharply ridged mane, tubular muzzle, funnel mouth, small pointed ears, pellet eyes. The spout on the opposite side is broken. Between the two spouts there is a raised twin basket-handle. Decoration in diluted black to dark-brown matte paint. Latticed triangles on either side of the spouts and handle. Ladder pattern on front part of horse’s neck, bands and ladder pattern along muzzle, paint on mane and ears, transversal bands on handle, solid paint on knob. The cylindrical body is divided into two horizontal narrow panels, the upper one is filled with a horizontal chain of solid diamonds, the lower one with tangent hatched triangles. Horizontal bands around lower part of body, paint on foot.

A. Bernhard-Walcher u.a., Die Sammlung zyprischer Antiken im KHM. Sammlungskataloge des KHM Bd. 2, Wien 1999 (V. Karageorghis)