Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
late 5th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · 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
2011.604.1.8413
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, hails from Attic workshops in the late 5th century BCE, during the of the Classical period. Produced in Athens, the cultural and political heart of the Greek world, such vessels were essential for symposialively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in philosophical debates. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the everyday elegance of Athenian life amid the Golden Age of Pericles, when art and democracy flourished. Crafted from fired clay, Attic kylikes exemplified mas...