Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
490–470 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late 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
2011.604.1.4129
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, dates to 490–470 BCE, the Late Archaic and Early Classical. Crafted in Attic workshops near Athens, it exemplifies the refined pottery traditions of the time, when vase painters transitioned from black-figure to the more naturalistic red-figure technique. Though only a fragment survives, it hints at the vibrant scenes—often mythological figures, athletes, or symposia revelers—that adorned such vessels, fired in kilns to create lasting, glossy black slips against the warm terracotta clay. Kylixes like this...