Terracotta rim fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
520–500 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic
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
2011.604.1.8019
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta rim fragment from kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece during the late Archaic period (520–500 BCE). Craft in the renowned pottery workshops of ancient Athens, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into everyday life among the city's elite. Kylikes like this one were essential at symposia—lively social gatherings where men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in philosophical debates, poetry, and merriment. Though only a fragment survives, it evokes the refined craftsmanship of Attic vase-makers, who fired clay at high temperatures to create ...