Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
mid-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
2011.604.1.344
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece in the mid-5th BCE, during the height of the Classical period. in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek artistry, such vases were everyday luxuries used in symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or recited poetry. Though only a fragment survives, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into the refined craftsmanship of Attic potters and painters, whose works adorned homes, tombs, and sanctuaries across the Mediterranean. Terracotta, a fired clay medium, was ...