Terracotta rim fragments of kylikes (drinking cups)
500–480 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
2011.604.1.7039a–d
Art Historical Context
These terracotta rim fragments of kylikes, attributed to the Athenian painter Douris and dating to 500–480 BCE, offer a glimpse into the vibrant world of Archaic Greek pottery. Created in Athens during the late Archaic period, these drinking cups were essential to the symposium—a social gathering where elite men discussed philosophy, politics, and poetry while sharing wine. Douris, renowned for his red-figure technique, brought graceful figures and narrative scenes to life on such vessels, capturing fleeting moments of daily life and myth with remarkable sensitivity. The choice of terracotta ...
About the Artist
Douris
Douris, an Athenian red-figure vase-painter and potter, flourished from around 500 to 460 BCE during the transition from Archaic to early Classical art.) One of the most prolific artists of his era, he signed approximately 39 vases as painter, one as both painter and potter, and one as potter alone, with scholars attributing between 250 and 300 additional works to his hand based on stylistic analy...