Stemmed Kyathos (Drinking Cup)
550-525 BCE
Medium
terracotta, bucchero ware
Dimensions
42 × 27 × 25.2 cm (16 5/8 × 10 5/8 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
60837
Art Historical Context
This elegant stemmed kyathos, a deep drinking cup favored in ancient banquets, hails from the Etruscan civilization of central Italy around 550-525 BCE. Crafted from terracotta in the distinctive bucchero ware technique, measures an impressive 42 × × 25.2 cm, showcasing the Etruscans' mastery of pottery that mimicked the sheen of luxury bronze vessels. The glossy black surface, achieved through a reduction firing process in a smoke-filled kiln, gave bucchero its metallic luster, making it a status symbol for elite households. Etruscan artisans excelled in bucchero during the Archaic period, ...