Detail of the Terracotta Amphoriskos in the Form of a Bird-Man in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, June 2010

Amphoriskos (flask) in the form of a bird-man, late 5th century b.c.; Classical
Greek, Attic
Terracotta
H. 7 in. (17.8 cm), W. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Christos G. Bastis Gift, 1999 (1999.68)

This extraordinary vase of a bird-man, of high technical quality, is unique among the examples of Attic black-glazed pottery known today. It almost certainly relates to Aristophanes' well-known comedy The Birds, first produced in 415/414 B.C., and may represent the costume that would have been worn by members of the chorus in the fifth century B.C.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1999.68