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
2011.604.1.483
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from alix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the Late Archaic period490–480 BCE). Crafted by an unknown potter-painter, it exemplifies the refined vase-making tradition of ancient Athens, where such vessels were wheel-thrown from fired clay and often adorned with intricate painted scenes. Kylikes like this one were prized for their graceful form—wide bowl, horizontal handles, tall stem, and foot—making them ideal for the symposia, those lively intellectual gatherings of wine, poetry, and philosophy among elite Greek men. Positioned at th...