Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
second quarter of the 5th century 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
2011.604.1.4731
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece in the second quarter of the 5th century BCE, the heart of the Classical period. Produced in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, kylikes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in philosophy, poetry, and politics. Though only a piece survives, it evokes the refined world of everyday luxury in democratic Athens. Crafted from fired clay, the fragment exemplifies Attic vase-making techniques: wheel-t...