Terracotta rim fragments of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
460–450 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
2011.604.1.7617a–d
Art Historical Context
These delicate terracotta rim fragments from kylix, a shallow drinking cup popular in ancient Greece, date to the Classical period around 460–450 BCE. Crafted in Attic workshops near Athens during a golden age of democracy and cultural flourishing under Pericles, such vessels were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and discussed philosophy, poetry, and politics. Though only fragments survive, they offer a tantalizing glimpse into everyday luxury and artistry from this era, just after Athens' victory in the Persian Wars. Attic potters excelled...