Terracotta kantharos (drinking cup with vertical handles) 475 BC

This terracotta kantharos (drinking cup) from 475 BC, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a fine example of ancient Greek pottery. The cup is decorated with a black-figure technique, a style of painting where figures are created by applying slip to the clay and then incising details. In this instance, the figure of a draped woman, rendered in red, appears on the side of the cup. The kantharos, with its prominent vertical handles, was a vessel used for drinking wine, reflecting the prominent role of wine in ancient Greek society.