Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
500–470 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic/Early 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
2011.604.1.3720
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the transitional Archaic to Early Classical period (500–470 BCE). Produced in Athens, the heart of ancient Greek pottery innovation, kylikes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or poetry. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the refined craftsmanship of Attic vase-makers, who fired clay at high temperatures to create durable, reddish terracotta bodies ideal for intricate decoration. Artistically, t...