Art Institute of Chicago

Stemmed Kyathos (Drinking Cup)

Etruscan; probably Vulci

Date

550-525 BCE

Medium

terracotta, bucchero ware

Culture

Vulci

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

A unique legacy of the Etruscans is the glossy black pottery known as Bucchero ware, made from the 7th century to the late 5th century B.C. Produced for both domestic and funerary uses, Bucchero ware was popular locally and imported across the Mediterranean. The signature shiny black surface was achieved by firing the pottery in a reduced-oxygen kiln, where restricted ventilation caused the iron oxide in the coarse Tuscan clay to turn black. Before firing, the clay was burnished, or polished with a smooth stone, resulting in the sheen so sought after by potters. This sheen mimicked the gleam of bronze vessels.

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