Mastoid (Drinking Cup)
about 500-480 BCE
Medium
terracotta, black-figure
Dimensions
8.3 × 10.5 × 10.5 cm (3 1/4 × 4 1/8 × 4 1/8 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
176
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This cup was shaped to fit easily in the dirnkers hand, and was likely used as part of the Greek symposium. Much like modern academic symposiums, in which people discuss a topic of common interest, debunking old theories and putting forth new hypotheses; the men of ancient Athens regularly got together in private homes to exchange ideas. Afterward the participants might continue the conversation, discussing their impressions in greater detail or simply socializing over a drink. As the evening pr...
Art Historical Context
This small terracotta drinking cup, known as a mastoid, presents a continuous frieze of black-figure decoration around its rounded body. The reddish-orange clay serves as the background for silhouetted figures rendered in glossy black slip, accented with touches of white. Two principal figures appear in animated poses: one bearded and muscular, bent forward as if in motion, and another draped figure gesturing with an extended arm. Additional forms, including curved shapes suggesting animals or objects, fill the space between them, all set above a solid black band near the base. Created by the Caylus Painter around 500-