Bronze kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
4th–3rd century BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H.: 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
Classification
Bronzes
Culture & Period
Greek · Late Classical or Hellenistic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.88.67
Art Historical Context
This delicate bronze kylix, a shallow drinking cup with two horizontal handles, hails from ancient Greece during the Late Classical or Hellenistic period (4th–3rd BCE). Standing just 1 7/8 inches (4.8 cm) tall, its petite size belies its cultural importance as a vessel for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine, and engaged in philosophical discourse, poetry, and games. Crafted by an unknown artisan, it exemplifies the refined metalwork of the era, when bronze was prized for its durability, luster, and prestige over more common ceramics. Bronze kylikes like thi...