Terracotta one-handled cup
Unknown Artist
late 8th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm)
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Geometric
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Greek Government, 1930
Accession Number
30.118.41
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta one-handled, standing just 2 1/2 inches (6.3 cm) tall, hails from late 8th-century BCE Attica, the heartland of ancient Greece modern Athens. Crafted the Geometric period, it exemplifies the early resurgence of artistic expression after the Greek Dark Ages, when potters revived wheel-thrown techniques to produce functional yet elegantly proportioned vessels for daily use, rituals, or symposia. As a quintessential Attic Geometric vase, this cup likely features the era's hallmark abstract motifs—repeating patterns of meanders, triangles, and zigzags painted in lustrous ...