Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
510–490 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · 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
2011.604.1.5544
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the late Archaic period510–490 BCE).ed in the vibrant hub of Athens, these vessels were everyday essentials turned artistic masterpieces, showcasing the pinnacle of ancient Greek pottery production. As a fragment, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into a larger object likely used in symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in philosophical discourse, poetry, and games. Attic vases like this one were fired in terracotta kilns, then meticulously painted with sl...