Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
490–470 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late Archaic/Early Classical
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
2011.604.1.6771
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the Late Archaic to Early Classical period (490–470 BCE).ed in the bustling pottery workshops of ancient Athens, it exemplifies the exquisite vases that were central to Greek social life. Kylikes like this one were prized at symposia—elegant drinking parties where elites reclined, debated philosophy, and savored wine mixed with water, often while admiring painted scenes on their vessels. Though only a fragment survives, it reflects the masterful techniques of Attic potters, who fired terracotta to a...