Terracotta fragments of skyphoi (deep drinking cups)
Unknown Artist
6th/5th centuries BCE
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
2011.604.2.1324a–c
Art Historical Context
These terracotta fragments from Attic skyphoi—, two-handled drinking cups—offer a glimpse into the vibrant world ancient Greece during the Archaic and Classical periods (6th–5th centuries BCE). Crafted in Athens, the heart of Greek pottery production, skyphoi were everyday essentials for symposia, the social drinking parties where philosophers debated, poets recited, and citizens bonded. Though incomplete, these shards preserve the refined techniques of Attic vase-makers, likely featuring black-figure or early red-figure decoration, where figures were incised or painted in glossy slip on fired...