Drinking Cup (Skyphos) with Cocks and Palmettes

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Drinking Cup (Skyphos) with Cocks and Palmettes

Place of OriginGreece, Athens

Date540 BCE

DimensionsH: 5 1/8 in. (13 cm); Diam (lip): 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm); Diam (with handles): 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); Diam (foot): 4 11/32 in. (11 cm)

MediumBlack Figure; Wheel-thrown, slip-decorated earthenware with incised details

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1969.368

Not on View

DescriptionThis deep, two-handled cup features a concave lip offset from the bowl by a groove. The interior and the underside of the foot are glazed black. The exterior decoration on both sides consists of a central double palmette motif resting on spiral tendrils, which are connected beneath by rudimentary lotus blossoms. Flanking this central floral element are two roosters (cocks) facing outward toward the handles. Details of the birds' combs, feathers, and bodies are embellished with added red and white pigments. A reserved band encircles the lower quarter of the vessel body.

Label TextThis deep cup, known as a skyphos, was designed for drinking wine at the symposium, a social gathering for Greek men. The decoration features a vibrant design of roosters flanking a central floral ornament made of palmettes and lotus blossoms. In ancient Greece, the rooster was a common gift between older men and younger men and served as a symbol of fighting spirit and solar renewal. The artist used the "black-figure" technique, painting the silhouettes in black slip against the reddish clay, then scratching in details with a sharp tool. Added red and white pigments—visible on the roosters' combs and wings—enhance the lively effect. This specific shape, with its delicate, concave lip, is a finer variety of the standard drinking cup, likely produced by a workshop specializing in high-quality wares for the Athenian market and export.Published ReferencesMünzen and Medaillen A.G. Auktion 40. Kusntwerke der Antike. 13 Dezember 1969. Basel, p. 37, lot no. 65.

Luckner, Kurt T., "Greek Vases: Shapes and Uses," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 15, no. 3, 1972, p. 78.

Boulter, Cedric G., and Kurt T. Luckner, Corpus vasorum antiquorum: Toledo Museum of Art, U.S.A. Fasc. 17, Toledo, 1976, p. 22, repr. pl. 31, profile drawing fig. 4.

Malagardis, Nassi, "Coupes à lucarne à figures noires: une création attique. Un étrange attelage au service d’Héraclès sur une coupe à lucarne de Sellada, Théra," Shapes and Images : Studies on Attic Black Figure in Honour of Herman A.G. Brijder, Babesch Suppl., Amsterdam: 2009, p. 116, note 46.

Malagardis, Nassi, Skyphoi attiques à figures noires: typologie et recherches, ateliers et peintres, Ahtens, La Société Archéologique d'Athènes: 2017, pp. unknown.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Ure, P.N., (ed.), Sixth and Fifth Century Pottery from Rhitsona, London, 1927, p. 58 (the shape of the Toledo skyphos most closely resembles type "A 1").

cf. Bernhard, Maria Ludwika, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Warsaw, fasc. 1; Poland, fasc. 4, 1960, pl. 42, nos. 3-6.

Cf. Archaeologischer Anzeiger, 1935, col. 468, no. 37, and fig. 49, cols. 471-472.

cf. Greifenhagen, Adolph, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Mannheim, fasc. 1; Germany, fasc. 13, 1958, pls. 15, no. 1 and 18, no. 5.