Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
520–500 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
2011.604.1.6132
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the Archaic period (520–500 BCE). Produced in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, such vessels were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in philosophy, poetry, and revelry. Though only a fragment survives, it offers a glimpse into the refined craftsmanship of Attic workshops, where potters and painters collaborated to create functional art that doubled as status symbols. Attic terracotta vases like this one wer...