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
2011.604.1.3504
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece around 490–480 BCE, during the Late Archaic. 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 fragment survives, it evokes the vibrancy of everyday ancient life, blending utility with artistry. Attic terracotta vases represent a pinnacle of Greek ceramic innovation, transitioning from black-figure ...