Terracotta fragment of a closed shape
Unknown Artist
510–500 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dietrich von Bothmer, Distinguished Research Curator, Greek and Roman Art, 2011
Accession Number
2011.604.3.2835
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a closed-shape vase, dating to 510–500 BCE, offers a glimpse into the masterful pottery traditions of Archaic Attic Greece. Crafted Athens—the epicenter of ancient Greek ceramics—this piece belongs to the late Archaic period, a time potters and painters were perfecting techniques like black-figure decoration, where figures were incised through a glossy black slip to reveal the red clay beneath. Closed shapes, such as lekythoi or aryballoi, were practical vessels for oils, perfumes, or unguents, often used in daily rituals or as grave offerings. Though on...