Kantharos (drinking cup)

This kantharos (cup with two vertical handles) is made of bucchero, a type of pottery fired black, and is embellished with a frieze of animals and monsters in relief. A chimera is followed by a griffin, a wild goat, horse, and sphinx. The repeating pattern was created by rolling a cylindrical stamp over the vessel’s surface before it was completely dry, a technique referred to as "rouletting". The polish and relief decoration of bucchero vessels evoke metal.