Terracotta rim fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
late 6th/early 5th centuries 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
2011.604.3.2089
Art Historical Context
This terracotta rim fragment from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, dates to the late 6th or early 5th century BCE during the Archaic period. Produced in Attica, the heart of classical Greek pottery, kylikes were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where men reclined, drank wine diluted with water, and discussed philosophy, politics, and poetry. Even as a modest fragment, it offers a glimpse into everyday elite life in Athens, a time when the city-state was flourishing culturally and artistically. Attic potters mastered terracotta techniques, firing clay a...