Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)

Art Historical Context

This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, or drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece around 510–500 BCE, during the late Archaic. Kylikes were elegant, shallow vessels used in symposia—lively social gatherings where elite Greek men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in intellectual discourse. Crafted by an unknown potter-painter, this piece exemplifies the masterful pottery production of ancient Athens, a hub of artistic innovation that exported vases across the Mediterranean. Attic terracotta vases like this one were typically decorated using the black-figure or emerging red-figure techni...