Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
6th/5th centuries BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic/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
2011.604.5.447
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the Archaic/Classical transition (6th/5th BCE). In ancient Athens, kylikes were essential to the symposium—a lively social gathering where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in intellectual discourse, poetry, and. These vessels, often adorned with intricate scenes of mythology, daily life, or athletics, bridged utility and artistry, reflecting the Greeks' harmonious blend of function and beauty. Crafted in terracotta, the medium typical of Attic pottery, this piece likely e...