Terracotta fragments of kylikes (drinking cups)
Unknown Artist
6th/5th centuries BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · 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
2011.604.3.2249a–c
Art Historical Context
These terracotta fragments from Attic kylikes, or shallow drinking cups, hail from Archaic Greece (6th–5th centuries BCE), a pivotal era when Athens emerged as a cultural powerhouse. Kylikes were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings of elite men featuring wine, poetry, and philosophical debate. Crafted in the vibrant pottery workshops of Attica, these pieces reflect the period's mastery of wheel-thrown terracotta, fired to a warm reddish hue and often decorated with black-figure or early red-figure techniques using mineral-rich slips. Though incomplete, the fragments offer a tantal...