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
2011.604.1.6175
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, dates to late Archaic period (520–500) and hails from Attic Greece, the heart of ancient Athens' vibrant pottery workshops. Kylixes were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or recited poetry. Produced in vast quantities, Attic vases like this one were exported across the Mediterranean, spreading Greek culture far and wide. Crafted in terracotta, the medium allowed artisans to fire clay at high temperatures for durability, then decorate with slip (liquid clay...