Attic kylix
- Maker: Attributed to The Foundry Painter
- Culture: Attic
- Made in: Attica (Greece)
- Date: 490BC-480BC (circa)
- Object type: kylix
- Materials: pottery
- Museum number: 1850,0302.2
- 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 kylix, a type of drinking cup from ancient Greece. Decorated in the red-figure style, it offers a vivid snapshot of athletic life in the 5th century BCE. On the interior, a bearded trainer watches as a young boxer ties his hand thong in preparation for a match. His posture and positioning suggest a moment of focus and determination.
The exterior is a dynamic scene featuring boxers and pancratiasts—wrestlers who engaged in a brutal sport combining wrestling and boxing rules. On one side, two fighters grapple on the ground, with one trying to gouge the other's eye, a violation of the sport's rules. Nearby, a trainer with a forked stick intervenes, a common figure in such events.
This work was attributed to the Foundry Painter, a noted vase painter from Athens, famous for his detailed and expressive athletic scenes. Made in Attica around 490 to 480 BCE, it was discovered in Vulci, where Greek influence thrived during classical times. The intricate border designs and use of relief lines show the painter's skill in both composition and technique.
See it in person
Attic kylix 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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