Kantharos (Wine Cup)
Ancient Greek Painting and Sculpture
-310–-280
- Medium
- Terracotta with traces of gilding
- Dimensions
- 20.6 × 19.6 × 13 cm (8 1/8 × 7 3/4 × 5 1/8 in.)
- Genre
- Drinking vessel
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
vesselceramicsdrinking vesselhellenisticancient artWritingancientstonewareterracotta
About
This style of cup, with its tall, thin stem and symmetrical handles, is called a kantharos. The form was extremely popular for drinking wine in ancient Greece. An inscription near the lip reads [i]Aphrodites[/i], dedicating the vessel “to Aphrodite.” This represents a fitting tribute to the goddess of pleasure and beauty, who was also romantically linked to the wine god, Dionysos.
