Terracotta fragment of a kylix? (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
5th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic/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
2011.604.1.1599
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment, likely from a kylix—a shallow drinking cup used in ancient Greek symposia—offers a glimpse into Attic pottery from the 5th century, bridging the Archaic and Classical periods. Produced in Athens, the heart of Greek artistic innovation, such vessels were essential for social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or recited poetry. Though only a piece survives, it exemplifies the everyday elegance of Attic ceramics, crafted on a potter's wheel from fine clay, fired in kilns, and often adorned with intricate red-figure or black-...