Rhytons - Craig's Cow Creamers

plus Nandi and a few other liquid dispensing vessels

My Webster’s third International Dictionary defines rhyton as “an ancient Greek drinking horn of pottery, usu. having the base in the form of the head of an animal, woman, or mythological creature.” Wikipedia is much more expansive, stating “A rhyton (plural rhytons or, following the Greek plural, rhyta) is a container from which fluids were intended to be drunk or to be poured in some ceremony such as libation. The English word rhyton originates in the ancient Greek word ῥυτόν (rhy̆tón or rhŭtón). 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. (note: I saw some great Parthian examples in a museum in Ashkabad, Turkmenistan) … Many vessels considered rhytons featured a wide mouth at the top and a hole through a conical constriction at the bottom from which the fluid ran. The idea is that one scooped wine or water from a storage vessel or similar source, held it up, unstoppered the hole with one's thumb, and let the fluid run into the mouth (or onto the ground in libation)… Rhyta were often used for liquids that needed straining, such as wine, beer and oil. Some rhyta were used in blood rituals and animal sacrifice. In these cases, the blood may have been thinned with wine. Some vessels were modeled after the animal they were intended to be used with during ritual, but this was not always the case… Rhyta occur among the remains of civilizations speaking different languages and language groups in and around the Near and Middle East, such as Persia, from the second millennium BC. They are often shaped like animals' heads or horns and can be very ornate and compounded with precious metals and stones.” The Google ‘Images of Rhyton’ page has some 181,000 pictures, and while the majority are of the horn-shaped form, there are also many that feature a full-bodied caracature of a cow, bull, or other creature, molded much like the ‘modern’ cow creamer or pitcher. Indeed, some of those pictures are of works from modern artists’ (including William Morris).

This section of my collection includes few of the very fancy ancient (BCE) rhytons like those shown on the History page. – most are either in museums or extremely expensive. It does however have some that are representative of the early ones, a number acquired on eBay from the highly reputable MDAntiquitiesfirm in the UK (most of the terracotta ones seem to have come from a collection in Canada) plus a few that appear to be copies of ancient ones, as well as modern vessels that are designed for uses similar to those for which rhytons were intended. Thus here I include the Peruvian Toritos de Pucara, which originally were used to hold chicha and blood for the cattle branding ceremony as described on the Places page. Probably inappropriately, I have also put here a number of Spanish bull caricature vessels designed for wine or oil and vinegar (popular tourist items), as well as other cow or bull caricatures that might best be termed ‘cruets’ but which have shapes somewhat reminiscent of some of the early rhytons. And, I’ve snuck in a couple liquor dispensers and what I believe to be an old Chinese soy pot, for lack of a better place.

More appropriately, I have added a section at the bottom of this page for my Hindu Nandi – designed for libations of holy water in Hindu Temples devoted to Shiva – since they, and the somewhat similar cow-headed vessels used to hold ghee to feed the holy flame, have ritualistic purposes.

As a reminder, click on any thumbnail for a larger picture.

Meet "Marduk, The Bull of Utu" (My wife liked it so much she insisted we name it - one of the few in my collection so honored). Actually this is a lovely 800 BCE Amlash (Per Wikipedia, The term Amlash culture refers to an assortment of historic materials and periods in Gilan and west of Mazandaran, in north of Iran. Amlash refers to the geographical region from which some archeological objects of certain types come It does not have any real archeological meaning when used with the word culture.) terracotta rhyton vessel per the Certicificate of Authenticity from MD Antiquities LTD of Didcot, Oxfordahire, UK. They offer a very large number of items on their eBay site and many of the rhyton styled items in my collection have come from them. This lovely bull is in amazingly fine condition, although its head appears to have at some point been broken off and carefully put back on.

A second lovely rhyton from MD Antiquities LTD, this is said by them to be a museum quality Parthian terracotta rhyton vessel. Wikipedia informes us that "The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conquering the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) under Andragoras, who was rebelling against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I (r. c. 171 – 132 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to present-day Afghanistan and western Pakistan. The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and the Han dynasty of China, became a center of trade and commerce." When I indquired I was told that this was fron the estate of a major collector in Canada,.

From the same dealer, an "Ancient Amlash Terraotte Bull Rhyton Vessel, super rare, excellent condition"...likely also from the same Canadian collector. It's interesting in that there is a hole at both ends. Presumably one put a finger over the bull's's mouth, filled the jug, then diapersed the liquid - to the ground or an altar if for an offering, to the mouth if for wine. Still shows marks from when the body was made on a potter's wheel.

Anbother Amlash bull rhyton, closer to what I believe is the traditional style - missing a horn and a couple ears, but with a winsiome face and a price I couldn't resis. .

Two more "Near Eastern Amlash Terracotta Rhyton Vessels" per MD Antiquities. Neither perfect - the larger one his missing part of a horn and an ear and has had the end of its its mouth restoresd, and the smalkkler has tips of both horns slightly broken off. The larger of the two has scratches on the sides - intentional or not I have no idea,. Interestuing are the variations in interpretation of size and number of humps.

Strange but interesting. This Near Eastern Amlash Terracotta Rhyton Vessel (per MD Antiquities) has 3 legs, prople (men presumably) handing onto its horns and head, and little circles with dots in the canter all aound the body. It seems to have had considerable use because several spots are rubbed - at least I assume that accounts for the orange coloration.

This, per the ebay seller MD Antiquities of the UK, is a bronze Persian rhyton circa 300BC. It came with a lot of verdigris which I decided to remove, and it looks quite nice with the bronze exposed and shiny. This bull is a very interesting and heavy bronze piece, and nicely fits the Rhyton definition since it certainly appears designed to pour a libation of come sort. The seller said they usually came in sets (a similar one was sold on eBay shortly before this one), and there would have been many around a round table. I have no experience with antiquities like this, but hope to learn more.

From the same UK seller came this Persian bull head rhyton - in this case more like a drinking vessel - said to be @400 BC. It was heavily encrusted but after several days in vinegar and a bit of light brushing it came somewhat clean, nicely displaying the bronze.

Silver 500bce Persian bullhead rhyton side

Silver 500bce Persian bullhead rhyton front

Silver 500bce Persian bullhead rhyton head

Silver 500bce Persian bullhead rhyton sidfe

Here's another superb rhyton, in this case one presumably made for drinking - sort of like English 'stirrup cups' -from MD Antiquities - said to be "circa 500BCE Ancient Persian hand beaten silver rhyton vessel". I checked it and a magnet didn't stick and the test acid left a small mark, so I believe it is indeed some form of silver, although it doesn't shine up very well. Not surprising given its age, I guess. Like the two above it came looking like it had been buried for a while - dust and dirt.

A second drinking rhyton, this time sold by MD Antiquities simply as 'ancient near eastern'. It;'s heavy earthenware with a teaL colored glaze, now heavily cracked. My wife thuiks it';s neat and matches many of her pots, so it goes on display in our living room. We got it the day of the 2024 election so she named it 'Kamela' because like VP Harris it's very nice looking has its neck stuck out.

This simple drinking bronze rhyton with a bull protome seems to be one of my oldest - from the Archaemenid Empire circa 500BC according to MD antuiquities. My visit to Wikipedia yielded:"The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (/əˈkiːmənɪd/; Old Persian: Xšāça, lit. 'The Empire' or 'The Kingdom' ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the largest empire by that point in history, spanning a total of 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles). The empire spanned from the Balkans and Egypt in the west, West Asia as the base, the majority of Central Asia to the northeast, and the Indus Valley to the southeast." This lovely rhyton was said to be 'rare' - and is in great shepe with very little corrosion and no dings. Makes one woneder...

This one, also from MD Atiquities, was advertised as a museum quality ancient near eastern rock crystal rhyton vessel with a bull's head. It is nicely carved, it certainly appears to be rock crystal of some sort (whatever that is) and came clean. I feel it was well worth the $80 and is a quite different addition to the collection. I wish I know of some way to verify the nature of these things - but I think that even the dealers have trouble. Lots of things are getting smuggled out of the middle east these days, and of course folks are still making 'antiquities', so I imagine that even experts make mistakes. With its huge number of items and guaranties of antiquity, I believe MD Antiquities to be one of the more trusted dealers. I certainly buy with confidence from them.

Although amber glass like the one above, this flagon or rhyton is distinctly Chinese. It came from an ebay site called "hongsan-culture" that shows well over 4000 items...so many that it seems to loose track of them. The first one I tried to buy from them they never found, and it took them a couple weeks to locate this one. It was heavily encrusted (a sign of age perhaps) and I removed part of that. Interesting interpretation.

The UK seller from whom I purchased this little vessel on ebay stated in his description that it is Viking terracotta rhyton dating from around 250-350 AD, and came from a private 1970s collection of Eastern European items. It's too small to be useful for drinking (except perhaps for a very tiny Viking) and is unglazed so not really suitable for liquids meant to be consumed. He also stated that it's unusual in that it bears a fertility symbol (which I have been unable to locate). But then, he also said exactly the same thing about a similar gost's head piece, so I am beginning to doubt all the above. And, later he advertised an identical piece with another story, so it seems it's a modern fake. Nonetheless, it was very affordable and sorta looks like a 'drinking' rhyton...and it's fairly interesting in its own right, if crude.

Well, this was sold as a rhyton, and although it has no holes it does seem to be a cute little bull effigy. It was said to be Amlash, 1st millennium BC, and came certified as original from an antiquities dealer in Cyprus. It was sufficiently inexpensive as these things go that I thought it would make a good contribution to this part of the collection. Amlash is a fairly generic term referring to a geographic region in northern Iran, and apparently most of the artifacts from there date to the 9th-8th century BCE. A check of the photos on google shows that hump backed bulls seemed to be popular items for Amlash rhytons.

This was sold as a 'superb beautiful small terracotta Amlash bull rhyton, rare', by a company in Whitby, Canada, that had only been sellng on eBay for a couple months. It is indeed really cute, and has a hole in the snout. It is in great condition, and has a nice Amlash shape. The seller's description said it was original, but of unknown age and place of origin. Having bought it with Canadian dollars, I was somewhat surprised ro find whwn it arrived that it was shipped from Farid & Mirrwais Novelties Trading, Umm Ramool, Dubai UAE. This I'd guess its age as a couole months, and its origin as Dubai, UAE and yes it probably is rare, because I doubt they could count on selling many of these. I could of course be wrong and I hope I am,...but as the old saying goes, you pay your money, you take your chances. Whatever,I do like it, and at least it didn't cost the umpteen thousand dollars that I have seen Amlach rhytons on offer for.

This one is, to my mind, quite cute. It was described on Ebay as "Ancient Persian Terracotta Rhyton Vessel with bull head, Rare", from a seller said to be in Hing Kong. It was mailed to me from New York. OK...I'd give it about a 3% probability of being as advertised. If it is, great. No way that I know of to verify...but then I didn't expect a lot, just thought the shape and round ears and stubby front legs were interesting. It doesn't take a lot of room on the shelf.

This one came from the same Hong Kong seller as the one just above. It's also just as unlikely to be Ancient Persian as advertised - but I assume someone had fun making it. It was cheap enough and interesting enough that in spite of almost certainly being a fake or rather reproduction, I decided to get it.

I got the cloisonne-like drinking rhyton on the left a number of years ago from an Enlish seller who thought it was Chinese. Then the two on the right cane up on eBay and I guess I didn't compare well enough because it turns out that they are the same as the other one, only with a dark blue background. The English seller of these said she got them at an auction in Workingham, Berkshire around 2003 and that the auictioneer said they had belonged to a merchant mariner and he thought they were Persian. Whatever...they are quite lovely and make a nice addition to the colelction.

Here is another drinking horn or rhyton, this one a very special dollhouse cow or rather bull, more modern than the ancient ones but with a bit of age nonetheless (It is also featured on the Miniatures page). The English seller acquired it at a "very fanous" toy and doll auction, where the specialist informed her it was Edwardian, made by Wedgewood. The jasper coloration and beautiful molding certainly attests to that origin. Doll houses were very populaer in that era which is what likely induced Wedgewood to enter the game(the seller has a few others by them from the same coillection and auction, but this was the only cow/bull).

This massive bull was sold as a "Celtic ritual rhyton Viking Bull AD 200-400". The interlocking diamonds on its shoulders do seem to match the description. It came to me from an antique dealer in Ebbs Austria who seems to largely specialize in coins. He kindly told me that he acquired it from the heirs of a serious collector from Munich, Germany who had bought it in an antique shop in Oslo, Norway. It is interesting in that it has both a raised fill hole, and a pour hole...in its forehead. I tried if and it does pour, albeit a bit sloppily. Perhaps it was intended for a ritualistic liquid somewhat more viscous than water.

My modern red-clay jug with the grey glaze and stylized markings bears a close family resemblance to this Cypriot rhyton whose picture I downloaded from google’s rhyton images. The seller said she’d like to think that it was Cretan or Etruscan, and it turns out she was pretty close.

Thuis is a 2022 reproduction rhyton from the Nicosia Museum on Cyorus. The seller states "The bull was one of the paramount religious symbols of Eastern Mediterranean peoples in the Late Bronze Age and was linked with fertility as well as with supernatural strength. It frequently assumed the form of major male deities, such as Apis in Egypt, Anu in Mesopotamia, El in Canaan, and so on, while in Minoan Crete it developed into a symbol of both religious and royal authority. In Cyprus, the religious connotations of the bull are attested already from the Early Bronze Age, when clay bucrania were placed on top of sanctuary models. They become even more obvious in the Late Bronze Age with the production of several bull rhyta and the adornment of altars with stone or clay bull horns. Please be aware that, due to the fact that our products are either individually cast, carved, hand painted and hand finished, there will inevitably be minor variations in size, colour and texture." It is indeed a very fine piece.

Per its tag, this nice replica is a "Greek Articfact of the Neolithic, Cycladic and Archaic Period, 4000BC-400BC", and on the other side, "Bull shaoped rhyton from Philakopi (Milos), 14th cent BC". Amazibng that the original was (presumably) in sufficiently good shape to enable the construction of this replica. Its horns have been repaiored but it displays nicely.

Both of these stylized bulls came to me from the UK. With their large swept back horns and conjoined legs as well as the symbols on the sides they’re clearly intended to be reproductions or at least representations of some earlier ritualistic vessel.

Several years after I got the two above, this one showed up and is alledged to be an original from which the reproductions may have been modelled. This one cane from the same seller, and indeed from the heirs of the same Munich collector, bought at the same time as the Celtic bull above.. The Ebay description said it is Greek pottery, a Cypriot, Ascus, Ritual Vessel dating from 800-600BC. In respone to my query the seller indicated that the collector's notes indicate it was purchased bin March 2017 from "non-professional archaeologists from Turkey, who found it near the present-day town of Tasucu, which is not far from the town of Mersim." I'm not at all sure what to think about 'non=professional archaeologists' but I guess there are legitimate such. At any rate it's very hard clay and in good condition and I'd like to believe it is as advertised. It certainly bears a very close reseblance to the reprocuctions, albei when I biught them they came with no further informaion..

This is a small replica of a Minoan Bull’s Head Rhyton from Crete. From the number of postcards and replicas of it and many very similar bulls’ heads available on eBay it seems to be a popular museum piece.

This is a Peruvian Torito de Pucara. Rhyton ‘purists’ would probably object because there is no Greek or Persian heritage here, but rather a combination of Spanish and indigenous Andean. However as noted in other places where I have displayed these lovely bull vessels (see expecially Pery on the Places page), they were initially designed for rituals associated with the cattle-branding ceremony, to hold a mixture of blood and chicha (corn-based beer). Thus they certainly meet the basic (expanded) definition. They have become a very popular souvenir of Peru, and also are often found in pairs on newly-completed roofs of houses, bearing a bottle each of chicha and holy water.

two Peruvian artisan versions of torito de pucara

Here are two more Toritos, both acquired from Novica which sells products from artisans around the world to folks like me. The large greyish one is by Walter Jose Acosta, from the Huambo province in the Amazon region of Peru, who is dedicated to perpetuating the beauty of Peruvian ceramic art. The little black one is by Maribel Posso Olivares who with a friend now heads a workshop with about 12 artisans, creating ‘alasitas’ which are tiny items reflecting wishes. Novics states that its mission is to spread happiness to both the artisans and to their customers, and their items come beautifully (and safely) wrapped, and in the case of these two, with little dolls attached to the red bows.

Yet three more - the bright ones on the left were sold as Mexican cow jugs but are pretty obviously Toritos. They are wildly painted and also very light, more like some sort of plastic rather than clay. On the right is a more traitional clay one, definitely Peruvian.

The larger one here was my very first Torito, although at the time I didn't know what it was - I just thought it was a neat Mexican bull, available at a church yard sale for a nickel. The little ones came much later. They have the classic form, but just are tiny to serve as alasitas, or to appeal to tourists with small bags. They also will appear on the Miniatures page.

Two more from Peru – the one on the right is a version of the Torito, and the other a quite different stylized version of a bull. Its tongue very nearly covers the hole in its nose. When my wife and I visited Peru we encountered a very large number of marvelous old pottery figures, some quite scatological and all fanciful, in the museums. As noted above, bulls were not native to the area so this type of figure appears only after the Spanish conquest.

Here is a small facsimile of how the Peruvians often display the toritos on their homes. To quote the seller who was from Cuzco “The torito of pucara is a ceramic handicrafts of the district of Pupuja, in the province of Azángaro, Peruvian department of Puno. It is a totemic symbol known as qonopas (Quechua) and / or Illas (Aymara), used in Andean rituals and ceremonies of protection, happiness and fertility in married life. In the perception of the Andean settlers that the pair of pucará toritos on the roof is a sign of protection and happiness in the home, it is an Andean duality that represents the husband and the woman that represent the fusion of positive and negative energies that the Equilibrium And the common good. At present, this piece has become a symbol of Peruvian Andean identity. The singular finish of the toritos are imperfect figures, of rough aspect, although they are charming and handmade in all ways. The objects are tied with the sheepskin and the black color is because they are destined to be buried in the day of the Pachamama the 1 of August of each year.”

No, Dolls are not generally part of the dollection. However this well dressed Peruvian lady - in addition to carrying 3 babies (one on her back), a llama, and a pitcher of chicha - is cuddling a tiny torito de pucara,. Thus she is more than welcome to grace this page.

Both of these large stylized bulls have just a single hole in the snout, and bear a interesting resemblance to some of the ones I found on the google rhyton images page. They’re clearly not made for cream or milk – but would serve well for wine (or blood). The red glazed ceramic one came to me from Ontario Canada and the only information the seller could provide is that he got it at an estate sale from someone who had an extensive pottery collection, and that it’s most likely Blue Mountain or CCC pottery.

This large brown bull with a stopper on its back seems to have 3 martini glasses on its sides. It's signed, but I sure can't decipher it. The seller said it came from Sweden, so perhaps at one point it contained aquavit, and was used for libations to Thor or Odin (or Loki or Freya or...).

Here starts a series of cow shaped containers that likely have no ritualistic purpose, but don't really fit in other pages of this web site. We begin with a pair of Spanish cruets from Seville, presumably designed for oil and vinegar (and for sale to tourists). The large one with the bull on its belly is intended, I believe, for wine.

On the left are two wine pitchers decorated with an impressionistic bull. They're meant to be mother and child I guess since only a Mom could love a face like that. Sharing this section is a similarly shaped vessel from Mexico.

This interesting “Punter” signed pitcher comes from the workshop of fifth generation ceramicist Domingo Punter and his family (Artesiana Domingo Punter e Hijos, S.A,). located in the Plaza de Cathedral of Teruel (Aragon), a high altitude town in eastern Spain noted for its Mudejar architecture, a mix of Gothic and Islamic. I could not find a web site for them, but a number of other sites feature their pottery and tell us that the dark red clay from this region is very dense, and that their work is intended to reproduce the Spanish Romantic style of the 14c., thus the somewhat primitive designs and only the black and green colors of that period. This quite idiosyncratic cow or bull is dated ’57 and came to me from the Netherlands. The 'puckered' moith and large horns are reminiscent of other Spanish bull cruets and wine jugs, but the body and legs seem to be unique to ths family. The price on Ebay was quite low for work from the Pungter studio, but shipping made up for it.

This is a traditional clay piece from Cuenca, Spain. From what I can glean from a number of web sites and a knowledgeable UK seller, it is an example of Cuenca’s most typical pottery item, the so called "Toro Ibérico" (Iberian Bull) which was originally created by the master potter Pedro Mercedes who was inspired by an Iberian bull head from the 7c Moorish period which was found in the town of Huete and is kept in the Museo de Cuenca. Apparently the modern ones became favored as family gifts representing the spirit and courage of the Spanish or Iberian bull, a reputation gained from bullfights. These cute little bulls proved to be very popular and have morphed into souvenirs, as well as into vessels used - like those above - for oil and vinegar or perhaps wine.

Here are a couple of the souvenir versions - much more gaudy than the traditional clay form. They both have raised letters that read “Recuerdo de Cuenca” , Souvenir of Cuenca. The smaller one also has an impressed seal on its right rump that reads “E. del Castillo Alfarero , Cuenca” and Emilio Castillo’s ceramic studio is indeed in Cuenca Spain.

Some potters - and some tourists - apparently got carried away. This 'Recuerdo' is downright huge and heavy.

More reasonable in size, and much more common in the gift shops (and on ebay) are small 'Toros Iberico" like this one, suitable like the small bottle-shaped ones with bull's heads for oil and vinegar, and a bit too skimpy for wine.

Here’s another of the same shape, this time with cats on the side, advertising a holiday resort in Torremolinos, Costa del Sol, Spain. It was made in Spain and is marked with a red crown over a cup with a V, over a blue wreath with “Valdelvira” at the bottom. The popularity of the Toro Iberico has clearly spread well past Cuenca.

Large white flowered Toto Iberico from Barcelona

This brightly decorated version with bulgy yellow eyes is made of red clay and is marked for “J. Roig, P. Espanol, Barcelona”

These small versions - some typical Iberain bull in form and others considerably more fanciful - are likely intended to hold olive oil or something similar - but they probably have a right to be on this page given that their shape is quite reminiscent of some of early ritualistic vessels. Then again, for those on a Mediterranean diet, use of olive oil can indeed be considered a ritual. The first one of these that my wife and I got was the reddish brown clay one with the earrings in the middle of the upper picture. We purchased it in a shop in San Gimignano, Italy, in 1990. It carries fond memories of a pleasant vacation in central Italy, and a fascinating old town of nine towers. Great wine in the area, too! The only other one of these that’s marked is the dark brown one on the far left of the upper picture: from Enesco, and made in Japan. Perhaps it should be called a "Toro Nipponico". The little grey-blue cup with cow head spout on the far right in the lower picture is hand made, and almost certainly comes from somewhere in the US; the eBay seller was in Arizona. I conclude that the traditional Curnca Bull has indeed become world-renowned.

Yet two more big ones for good measure

This interesting Russian liquor dispenser came, thanks to eBay, from a seller in Vratsa, Bulgaria.

This bull pulling the little wagon with cups is a liquor decanter – its head comes off for pouring.

Japanese caricature bull decanter and cups

Here is another version of a liquor dispenser. There are some very lovely French ones on the Faience page, but this one is quite obviously Japanese (and it has a sticker that says so), labeled for “PAC” although it has all the characteristics of several other cows scattered throughout that came from Thames. Somehow I can’t imagine it holding sake. Indeed, I doubt that one like this was ever sold in Japan – only some crazy American would ever buy something this weird.

Some glass-blower has a sense of humor. Likely Italian? Seller made a few futile guesses at the maker but best just to say I have no idea. Pretty obvious how this one works (the shadow makes that especially clear) - and it does have 2 holes so is fully qualified for the collection. It came with cork stoppers for both the in and the out orifices - but like a suiteki, if the top fill hole is tightly pluged, he doesn't leak. Lovely eyelshes, too. I think I will use it for slivovika which is clear as well as tasty.

As if the one above wasn't bad enough, try this one..., I am embarassed to say that I actually paid money for it...although it was cheap. The only saving grace is that it does meet the 2-hole criterion, even if the fill hole is a basket and the 'pour' hole is between its feet. I think it was intended to amuse children.

This is an old Chinese earthenware pot with the head of a bull or water buffalo that the seller claimed is 17c Qing Dynasty; it’s beaten up enough to be so, although it’s now against the law to export items from China that date from before 1911. It was most likely designed to hold water or, even more likely, soy sauce.

NANDI – Hindu holy water pots and other temple cows and bulls

Brass Nandi Holy water pot on metal shipping box

As I understand it (I get confused by Hindu deities), Nandi the white bull is Shiva’s vahana or vehicle, the mount on which he rides. A note from the Philadelphia Museum of Art adds that “Shiva is a great ascetic whose power emerges as contained sexual energy. Appropriately, he is accompanied by the virile bull. An image of Nandi sits in the hall or porch of temples dedicated to Shiva, facing into the sanctum like the primary devotee that it is.” In ancient India, he was also an independent deity known as Nandikeshvara, the Lord of Joy, represented as a man with a bull’s head. The folks who sold me this lovely older copper version – which comes from Jodhpur in Rajasthan – said that these pots are used by priests to spray holy water on the devotees who come to worship at Shiva’s shrine, or are carried by holy men to hold and disperse holy water from the Ganges. As you will note, this Nandi arrived very carefully packaged for safety in an old tin for Kashmir Snow Beauty Aids.

Here are two modern brass Nandi, both coming direct from India but without the fancy box.

This is a particularly nice example, with bronze head, tail, base and lid, but with a silverish body bearing an impressed Buddha plus the bull's legs and a lot of flowers and other decorations.

Here are two small nandi water pots. The one on the left with nicely inscribed marks was said to be from Natal, but was shipped from Singapore. The copper one on the right is from India; it was very dirty and tarnished when it arrived so I cleaned it up a bit.

Here are three more Nandi water pots in different configurations and types of metal, as well as what I found out later were vessels for ghee, as explained in the next section.

I had thought that all these bull or cow shaped Hindu ritual vessels were models of Shiva’s bull, used for holy water. Then the large and rather plain oval bodied ‘cow’ on the left arrived, from a US seller. It contained a small leaflet entitled “Butter pot” that said “In India, the cow is believed to be “close to God” and can fulfill dreams and desires. This brass cow’s head kettle is used to hold the clarified butter, called Ghee, which fuels the holy flame that is kept lit at all time in Hindu Temples”. As it turns out I had a few others of similar size and shape that I now believe to be other versions of ‘cows’ not bulls, used for Ghee. They certainly are of a different shape and character than the holy water nandis…but nonetheless because of their use in Hindu temples I believe they belong in this part of the collection

Nandi holy water pot pours through horns

Straight from Ahmendabad in Gujarat, India comes this lovely brass (so said the seller) standing nandi. Very different in shape and structure from my others, it is nonetheless designed for holding and dispensing holy water…not through the mouth which has no hole, but rather through the hollow horns. I don’t know if this has any ritual significance, but from my perspective it certainly qualifies for the collection.

Here is a similar but smaller and somewhat less well crafted horn-pouring nandi. He looks a bit dejected, but is nevertheless very cute. It’s interesting that after several years of collecting and finding none of these, I bought this and the one above just a month or so apart. This one had a very important feature – it cost 99 cents (plus something like 14x that for shipping)

Yet another variant – a copper “Shivling Holy Water Cow Face Cone” according to the London-based seller. The add for it on eBay stated: ““All our Spiritual Products Are Spiritually activated With Mantras & Puja’s also known as Abhisheka by our Panditji Priest without any extra charges. Ideal to hang in temple over Shiva Linga – very auspicious to do Shiva Pooja” Naturally this sent me to Wikipedia where I learned first that “Abhisheka, also called Abhishekam, is conducted by priests, by pouring libations on the image of the deity being worshipped, amidst the chanting of mantras. Usually, offerings such as milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, Panchaamrutam, sesame oil, rosewater, sandalwood paste may be poured among other offerings depending on the type of abhishekam being performed. This ritual is routinely performed in some Hindu and Jain temples. "Rudraabhisheka" (Abhisheka of Rudra) is performed on Shiva lingams.” Seeking further, I also found out that “A pandit or pundit is a scholar and a teacher, particularly one skilled in the Sanskrit language, who has mastered the four Vedic scriptures, Hindu rituals, Hindu law, religion, music, and/or philosophy under a Guru in a Gurukul or has been tutored under the ancient Vedic Guru-Shishya academic tradition. The English loan word pundit is derived from it.”

Finally, here are three open-topped Nandis – the largest and smallest came from Sunil Arts & Engg Works in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, and the silver colored one from a seller in the US who presumably brought it back as a souvenir. The well crafted tiny copper Nandi was said to be 70-80 years old, and used in temples. The largest one, with a stand under its chin and with internal ridges, was sold to me as a pot or ‘ash tray’ (which I doubt), but I have also seen an identical one described on eBay as a Kharal, which is essentially a mortar for grinding opium and making ‘opium water’ which is then taken through the bull’s mouth. Perhaps some kind Hindu can enlighten me – I can only say that I’m learning, slowly, that holy cows and bulls from India can have many manifestations and uses.