Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
490–480 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late 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
2011.604.1.468
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, or drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the Late Archaic period (490–480 BCE), a pivotal time just before the Persian Wars reshaped the ancient world. Crafted in the renowned pottery workshops of Athens, kylikes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in philosophical discourse, poetry, and games. Though only a piece survives, it evokes the everyday elegance of Greek life, where functional objects doubled as canvases for artistic expression. Attic v...