Terracotta fragment of a skyphos (deep drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
475–450 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
2011.604.2.2041
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a skyphos, a deep two-handled drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, dates to the Classical period (475–450 BCE) hails from Attic workshops near Athens. Skyphoi like this were everyday essentials at symposia—lively social gatherings where men shared wine, philosophy, and poetry—reflecting the democratic ideals and cultural vibrancy of fifth-century Athens amid the Golden Age of Pericles. Crafted in terracotta, the fired clay medium central to Greek vase-painting, this piece exemplifies Attic potters' mastery. By this era, artists had shifted from black-figure to...