Kantharos (Wine Cup)
310-280 BCE
Medium
Terracotta with traces of gilding
Dimensions
20.6 × 19.6 × 13 cm (8 1/8 × 7 3/4 × 5 1/8 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
183
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This style of cup, with its tall, thin stem and symmetrical handles, is called a kantharos. The form was extremely popular for drinking wine in ancient Greece. An inscription near the lip reads [i]Aphrodites[/i], dedicating the vessel “to Aphrodite.” This represents a fitting tribute to the goddess of pleasure and beauty, who was also romantically linked to the wine god, Dionysos.
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...