Terracotta Vessel with a Ram’s Head

The Ram’s Spiral

Few animal forms carry as much meaning as the ram. In many parts of Africa and the Mediterranean world it stands for strength, leadership and abundance, and its horns, always growing, always curling, have long been read as a sign of power renewing itself.

Here the horns are the whole story. They sweep up and back in a full spiral, so large that they form open rings on either side of the head, almost like handles. Painted a deep red and finely ribbed, they are the boldest colour in the piece and pull the eye straight to the animal’s crown.

Everything else is calm by comparison: the smooth round belly, the quiet beaded lines dividing it into sections, the patient expression of the face. The studded skin of the head suggests the thick curls of fleece.

The muzzle stretches forward into a spout. Whatever this vessel once held would have poured from the ram’s own mouth, turning a simple gesture into a small act of theatre.

A globular vessel on a moulded foot, its neck rising into the head of a ram. Massive spiralling horns, ribbed and painted red, curl back to form an open loop on each side of the head.

The head is covered with rows of small round studs, the eyes are almond-shaped and touched with red, and the long muzzle ends in an open spout. The body is divided by beaded vertical bands, with panels of fine crosshatching at the shoulder.