Terracotta rim fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
late 4th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Etruscan · 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
2011.604.10.55
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta rim fragment from a kylix, or shallow drinking cup, hails from Etruscan culture in the 4th century BCE during the Classical period. Dating to around 350–300 BCE, it once belonged to a vessel used in symposia—lively social gatherings where elites enjoyed wine, conversation, and entertainment. The Etruscans, an ancient Italic civilization centered in central Italy, avidly adopted Greek pottery forms like the kylix, adapting them for their own rituals and daily life, blending influences from across the Mediterranean. Crafted from terracotta, a fired clay medium prized fo...