Terracotta fragment of a kylix: Band cup (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
520–510 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
2011.604.3.1771
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or band cup, dates to 520–510 BCE and hails from Attic Greece during the Archaic period. in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, these drinking cups were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or poetry. As a "band cup," it belongs to a stylish subtype popularized by the Little Masters, potters who miniaturized decoration into narrow friezes around the vessel's body, showcasing their technical prowess on a shallow, handle-spanning form. Crafted from fired clay and likely dec...