Terracotta Kylix with a Man and a Youth Kissing in the Getty Villa, June 2016

Title: Attic Red-Figure Kylix

Artist/Maker: Attributed to Carpenter Painter (Greek (Attic), active 515 - 500 B.C.)

Culture: Greek (Attic)

Place: Athens, Greece (Place created)

Date: 510–500 B.C.

Medium: Terracotta

Object Number: 85.AE.25

Dimensions: 11 × 38.1 × 33.5 cm (4 5/16 × 15 × 13 3/16 in.)

Alternate Titles: Red-figured kylix (Display Title)
Wine Cups with a Man and a Youth (Display Title)
Wine Cup with a Youth Kissing a Man (Display Title)

Object Type: Kylix


On the interior of this Athenian red-figure kylix or cup, a seated youth pulls his older male lover down toward him for a kiss. In Athenian aristocratic circles in the Archaic period, older men often courted youths. Such homosexual relationships were viewed as a key element in the socialization of youths, involving strong elements of mentoring as well as eroticism.

The exterior of the cup depicts youths and bearded men training in various athletic activities, including the javelin, discus, and long jump. The youth in the long robe playing the flutes provides music for the training. Greek vases of the Archaic period frequently depict favorite pursuits of the aristocratic patrons who used the vessels; scenes of athletic training, another key element in the socialization of Athenian youths, are among the most common.


Text from: www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/10928/attributed-to-carpenter-painter-attic-red-figure-kylix-greek-attic-510-500-bc