Merrythought Cup
Encyclopedia
The term Merrythought Cup is used by scholars to describe a specific type of Attic
kylix
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The Merrythought cup probably developed as a refined form of a rural cup type normally made of wood. The shape features several peculiarities. It is the first Attic cup shape that lacks a distinctive break between lip and vessel body. The handles are especially striking. Rather than forming a semi-circle, as is the case in virtual all other cup shapes, they are bent upwards and terminate in a lug-like shape. Equally unusually, the handles extend beyond the height of the vessel body.
The cups, mostly covered in black slip
, occasionally feature thin stripes of red paint on the foot or the interior. This resembles East Greek and other Attic decorative styles. The vase body is nearly hemispherical. The first Attic artist to decorate Merrythought cups in the black-figure style was the C Painter
.
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
kylix
Kylix
Kylix may mean:* Kylix , a genus of snails in the family Drilliidae.*Kylix , a type of drinking cup used in ancient Greece*Kylix , a programming tool...
.
The Merrythought cup probably developed as a refined form of a rural cup type normally made of wood. The shape features several peculiarities. It is the first Attic cup shape that lacks a distinctive break between lip and vessel body. The handles are especially striking. Rather than forming a semi-circle, as is the case in virtual all other cup shapes, they are bent upwards and terminate in a lug-like shape. Equally unusually, the handles extend beyond the height of the vessel body.
The cups, mostly covered in black slip
Slip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
, occasionally feature thin stripes of red paint on the foot or the interior. This resembles East Greek and other Attic decorative styles. The vase body is nearly hemispherical. The first Attic artist to decorate Merrythought cups in the black-figure style was the C Painter
C Painter
The C Painter was one of the most important Attic black-figure vase painters. His works date to circa 575-550 BC.His conventional name was allocated by the archaeologist John Beazley. The C stands for "Corinthianising", a reference to the strong influence of Corinthian vase painting on the artist...
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