Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
second quarter of the 5th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Classical
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
2011.604.1.193
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece in the second quarter of the 5th century BCE, during the Classical period's golden age. Crafted around 475–450 BCE, it reflects the peak of Athenian pottery production, when workshops churned out finely made vessels for everyday use and elite symposia—lively social gatherings where wine flowed and intellectual discourse thrived. As a fragment, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into the artistry of an unknown potter-painter, whose work would have adorned such cups with intricate scenes, though the surviving pi...