Terracotta kylix: eye-cup (drinking cup) 540 BC

Curator: This is a terracotta kylix, also known as an eye-cup, a drinking cup, created around 540 BC. The artist is believed to be Lydos. Editor: My first thought is… drama! A complete frenzy. Like a single, captured moment in some long-lost, epic poem. Look at those black figures against the reddish clay, almost like shadows flickering around a fire. Curator: Precisely. The black-figure technique was dominant during this period. The figures are painted with slip, a diluted clay, which turns black in the kiln. Then, details are incised to reveal the red clay beneath, a kind of controlled subtraction in the process. This particular piece showcases the height of that technique. Consider the labor invested to shape and paint it! Editor: I find the minimalist colour palette stunning. Black, red and hints of white used very purposefully. It emphasizes the intensity, no room for frivolity here. You feel the strain and effort etched into these fighters, every black stroke a line of action. What scene is depicted, do we know? Curator: The composition depicts an intense battle scene, rendered in the iconic black-figure style, on the interior surface of the drinking vessel. Editor: So you would hold the cup and slowly reveal the image? It feels both intensely private and somehow celebratory…drinking wine in comradery or after war games? Curator: Kylixes were used during symposia, ancient Greek drinking parties, so indeed they were very social, ceremonial objects. Think about it – communal pottery production fueling private consumption, class cohesion. And there's a sense of shared history being visually passed around. Editor: It's fascinating to see how these ancient artisans, working with limited resources and specific social conditions, could distill such primal energy into simple materials. Makes you question our present reliance on all manner of high tech when what is timeless is what truly resonates. Curator: A truly unique artifact of its time. A humble yet profound window into material production and human experience. Editor: So perfectly put! I think I could happily spend the whole afternoon gazing into this captivating artifact!