Attic cup
- Maker: Attributed to The Painter of the Paris Gigantomachy
- Culture: Attic
- Made in: Attica (Greece)
- Date: 490BC-480BC
- Object type: cup
- Materials: pottery
- Museum number: 1836,0224.212
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
Before you is an Attic cup, crafted around 490 to 480 BC in the region of Attica, Greece. The work is attributed to The Painter of the Paris Gigantomachy, a name known for his vivid depictions of symposium scenes.
Look closely at the interior: two youths recline on a couch, one holding a skyphos and the other preparing for a game of kottabos, an ancient drinking game involving flicking wine from a cup. A nude boy moves forward at their feet, adding a dynamic touch to the scene.
The outside features a symposium scene filled with figures reclining and gesturing. Each detail, from the dotted himations to the carefully arranged cushions and the black-glazed pottery silhouetted in the border, reflects the painter's careful attention. This kind of red-figured pottery is a hallmark of Athenian craftsmanship during the classical era.
See it in person
Attic cup is on display at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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