Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
470–460 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
2011.604.1.2435
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of ancient Athens with this terracotta fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup favored at symposia—lively social gatherings of elite Greek men. Crafted by the Tarquinia Painter around 470–460 BCE, during the High Classical period, Attic Greek artifact captures the refined elegance of red pottery. In this technique, artists painted figures in the natural red clay color and outlined details in black slip, fired in a kiln to create a glossy black background that made intricate scenes pop. The Tarquinia Painter, named after a group of his vases found in the Etrus...
About the Artist
Tarquinia Painter
The Tarquinia Painter was an ancient Athenian vase painter working in the red-figure technique during the early Classical period, specifically around 470-460 BCE. Like most ancient Greek vase painters, this artist never signed their work, and their artistic identity has been reconstructed by modern scholars, particularly John Beazley, through careful stylistic analysis of unsigned pottery. The pai...