Terracotta fragment of a neck-amphora (jar)
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
2011.604.3.455
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a neck-amphora, to 490–480 BCE, a glimpse into the vibrant world of Late Archaic Attic Greek pottery. Crafted in ancient Athens, neck-amphorae were elegant two-handled jars designed for storing and transporting precious commodities like olive oil and wine. As a fragment, it likely preserves part of the vessel's neck or body, where artisans would have depicted dynamic scenes from mythology, daily life, heroic tales—hallmarks of Attic vase-painting. In the Late Archaic period, just before the Classical era's golden age, Attic potters mastered wheel-throwing and fir...