Fragments of a terracotta calyx-krater (mixing bowl) 400 BC

Editor: Okay, so we're looking at "Fragments of a terracotta calyx-krater (mixing bowl)" dating back to 400 BC. It's from ancient Greece and now resides at the Met. I must admit, seeing these fragments pieced together evokes a feeling of both loss and rediscovery. The vivid scenes painted on the pottery surface hint at stories of the past, yet they are tantalizingly incomplete. What strikes you most when you observe this piece? Curator: You know, sometimes the fragments speak louder than the whole ever could. To me, it's about glimpsing a moment, frozen in time, a whisper across millennia. Imagine the hands that crafted this, the wine it once held, the laughter that echoed around it. These sherds aren't just broken pottery; they're echoes of feasts and philosophies, you know? Like, squint and imagine it whole… what tales might it tell? Perhaps of gods and mortals mingling, perhaps of simpler domestic scenes? Editor: That makes so much sense. I hadn’t considered how much richer the story becomes with the missing pieces sparking our imaginations. Curator: Exactly! And consider the painter: meticulously decorating this vase, not for immortality perhaps, but certainly for *a* life, *a* celebration. Think of this krater at a symposium! What sort of discussions might be had, fuelled by its contents. It's a puzzle and a poem all at once, this ancient wreckage, don’t you think? What emotions might it have sparked, and for who? Editor: A poem… I love that! I never thought of it that way. The fragments becoming a launchpad for a narrative. Thank you! Curator: Anytime! Always dig beneath the surface; those cracked surfaces might just show you the deepest roots, okay?