Terracotta fragment of an oinochoe (jug)
Unknown Artist
460–440 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
2011.604.2.970
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta fragment from aninochoe, or wine jug, hails from Attic Greece during the High Classical period (460–440 BCE).ed in the bustling pottery workshops of ancient Athens, oinocho like this one were essential household items, used to pour wine at symposia—lively social gatherings where philosophy, poetry, and politics flowed as freely as the libations. Though only a piece survives, it evokes the refined elegance of everyday Greek life, where functional vessels doubled as canvases for artistic expression. Attic terracotta vases from this era represent a pinnacle of ancient ce...