Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
mid-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
2011.604.1.4951
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from mid-5th century Attica, the heart of Classical Greek pottery production. Dating to the height of Athens' Golden Age, 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 revelry. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the refined elegance of everyday luxury in ancient Greece. Attic vases, crafted from fired clay and often adorned with intricate black- or red-figure paintings (though specifics...