Terracotta fragment of a pelike (jar)
Unknown Artist
first half of the 5th century
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
2011.604.2.131
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a pelike, a distinctive ancient Greek jar with a wide mouth and horizontal handles, hails from Attic workshops in the first half of 5th century BCE Straddling the Archaic and Classical periods, captures a pivotal moment in Greek art when potters and painters shifted toward more naturalistic figures and dynamic compositions, often using the innovative red-figure technique where the background was painted black, leaving figures in the natural clay color for intricate detailing. Pelikes like this one were practical vessels for storing olive oil or wine in households...