Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar)
Unknown Artist
1st quarter of the 4th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); diameter 5 7/16 in. (13.9 cm)
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.88.162
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant terracotta hydria, or kalpis—a type of water jar with a rounded base for easy pouring—was crafted in Attic Greece during the first quarter of the 4th century BCE, in the heart of the Classical period. Standing just 7 3/4 inches tall, it exemplifies the everyday functional pottery that filled ancient Greek households, used to fetch and store water from public fountains. Produced in Athens, the epicenter of red-figure vase painting, such vessels blended utility with artistry, transforming mundane objects into storytelling canvases. The jar's decoration, featuring Poseidon amid seah...