Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
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
2011.604.1.8788
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greek symposia, dates to the Late Archaic period (490–480 BCE). Hailing from Attic Greece—the heart of classical Athens—it offers a glimpse into the refined pottery traditions of the era, just before the full bloom of the Classical age. Though only a portion survives, such vases were essential for communal wine-drinking rituals, where guests reclined and engaged in intellectual discourse, poetry, and merriment. Crafted in terracotta, the medium exemplifies the technical mastery of Attic potters, who fire...