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
2011.604.1.1972
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta rim fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greek symposia, a glimpse into the refined world of Classical Attic pottery. Dating to the second quarter of the5th century BCE— 480–470 BCE—this piece hails from Athens at the dawn of its Golden Age, just after the Persian Wars. Kylikes like this one were essential for communal wine-drinking gatherings, where elite men reclined on couches, debating philosophy, poetry, and politics amid lavish entertainment. Crafted in terracotta, the medium of choice for Attic vases, this fragment exemplifies the te...