Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
490–480 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late 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
2011.604.1.6578
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment once formed part of a kylix, the elegant shallow drinking cup favored in ancient Athens during the Late Archaic period. Produced between 490 and 480 BCE by the Colmar Painter, an accomplished red-figure artist working in the Greek city-state of Athens, the vessel would have been used at symposia—lively gatherings where men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in conversation. The cup’s elegant profile and interior decoration were designed to be admired as the vessel was raised or tilted, turning the act of drinking into a visual experience. The red-figure technique emplo...