Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
500–480 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
2011.604.1.6332
Art Historical Context
This exquisite terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, dates to 500–480 BCE and hails from Attic Greece during the late Archaic period. Craft by the renowned vase-painter Onesimos, one of Athens' master artists of the era, it exemplifies the red-figure technique that revolutionized Greek pottery. In this method, figures were outlined in black slip on the clay surface, with background details painted away to reveal the natural red terracotta—allowing for intricate details in anatomy, drapery, and expression that black-figure painting couldn't achieve. Kylikes like this were ...