Terracotta fragments of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
mid-5th century 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
2011.604.1.2a–c
Art Historical Context
These terracotta fragments from a kylix, a shallow two-handled drinking cup, hail from Attic Greece in the mid-5th BCE, the heart of the Classical period. in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, such vases were everyday luxuries used in symposia—lively social gatherings where men reclined, drank wine, and debated philosophy or recited poetry. Though incomplete, these shards offer a glimpse into the refined craftsmanship of Athenian workshops, where potters shaped vessels on fast-spinning wheels before firing them in kilns to achieve their warm, durable terracotta hue. Attic kylikes...