Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
510–500 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
2011.604.1.6218
Art Historical Context
This exquisite terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, dates to late Archaic period (510–500 BCE) and hails from Attic Greece, the heartland of ancient Athenian artistry. Kylixes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in intellectual discourse. Crafted on a potter's wheel from fine clay and fired in kilns, these vessels showcase the technical mastery of Attic workshops, which produced some of the finest ceramics of the ancient world. Artistically, the fragment reflects the transition ...