纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 028巴斯伊于特酒壶（4）

On each flagon, there are at least 120 separate pieces of coral - probably from the Mediterranean. They've now faded to white, but of course originally they would have been bright red, giving a striking contrast to the original golden shine of the bronze. You can imagine them, standing by blazing firelight, with the flames reflected in the bronze and deepening the red of the coral, while the wine, the beer or the mead they contained was ceremonially poured for important guests ...

The animals on the flagons tell us a great deal about these people. The curved handle is a lean, elongated dog, stretching forward, fangs bared and holding in its mouth a chain that connects to the stopper. Dogs would, of course, have been an essential part of hunting life, and two more, smaller dogs lie on either side of the lid. All three dogs have their attention focussed on a tiny bronze duck that sits right at the end of the spout. It's a lovely touch, both moving and funny. When somebody poured from the flagon, it would certainly look as though the duck was swimming on the wine, mead or the beer - especially, I suspect, if the drinker had already had several cups from this flagon!

But what would be clear to anyone whose cup was being filled from these flagons, was that these luxury goods were local. No piece of Italian design actually looked like this. Their extravagant shape, their unique combination of decoration, the animal imagery, all said loud and clear that these were made north of the Alps - examples of a new wave of creativity among craftsmen and designers; a rare confidence in taking elements from different foreign and local sources to forge a new visual language.