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
2011.604.1.1634
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece in the 5th century BCE, bridging the Archaic and Classical periods. Produced in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, such kylikes were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in intellectual discourse. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the vibrant world of everyday elite life, where pottery served both practical and artistic purposes. Attic vases like this one exemplify the mastery of terracotta firing and decoration techniques, often featurin...