Terracotta fragments of undetermined shapes
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
2011.604.6.380a–d
Art Historical Context
These enigmatic terracotta fragments, dating to the 6th or 5th century BCE offer a glimpse into the vibrant of Archaic Greek pottery from Attic workshops. Classified as parts of vases, their undetermined shapes suggest they may hail from everyday vessels like amphorae or kraters, common in ancient households for storage, serving, and symposia. Crafted by an unknown artist, they exemplify the technical mastery of Attic terracotta production, where clay was wheel-thrown, fired in kilns, and often decorated with intricate black-figure or emerging red-figure techniques—silhouettes incised to revea...