Terracotta rim fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
first half of the 4th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late 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
2011.604.1.8440
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta rim fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Attic Greece in the first half of the 4th century BCE, the Late Classical period. in Athens, the epicenter of ancient Greek pottery, kylikes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, sipped wine, and debated philosophy or poetry. Though only a fragment survives, it offers a glimpse into the refined craftsmanship of everyday luxury items that bridged art and ritual. Terracotta vases from this era typically employed the red-figure technique, where artists painte...