Terracotta kylix (drinking cup)

Brygos Painter

ca. 480–470 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Thracian woman The large piece of patterned cloth used as a shield identifies the figure as Thracian. She hastens forward holding a spear in her right hand. The characterization suggests that she is an excerpt from a larger scene depicting the death of Orpheus, the irresistible musician. After losing his wife, Eurydice, Orpheus became a recluse. Thus spurned, the enraged women of Thrace killed him. In one version, they tore him to pieces.

Artist

Brygos Painter

Date

ca. 480–470 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Purchase, 1896