Terracotta pyxis (box)

Art Historical Context

This delicate terracotta pyxis, around 550 BCE by the Painter of Munich 1842, exemplifies Attic Greek artistry from the Archaic period. just 3 11/16 inches tall its lid, this small box—classified among vases in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Greek and Roman Art collection—was likely used by women to cosmetics, jewelry, or trets. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 6, it showcases the refined black-figure technique typical of the era, where silhouettes were painted in glossy black slip on a fired clay body, with intricate details incised through to reveal the red clay beneath. In Archaic Ath...