Terracotta rim fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
second quarter of the 5th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · 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
2011.604.1.1872
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta rim fragment from kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, offers a glimpse into the refined symposia—lively drinking parties—of Classical Athens. Dating to the second quarter of the5th century BCE ( 450–425 BCE), it hails from Attic workshops, the epicenter of Greek pottery production renowned for its technical mastery and aesthetic elegance. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the vessel's original form: wide-mouthed and low-bodied, ideal for sipping wine while reclining at social gatherings where philosophy, poetry, and politics flowed freely....