Attic Black-Figure Mastos

A young woman plays the double flutes on this black-figure mastos or breast-shaped cup. The other side of the vase depicts a woman flourishing a branch and an ivy sprig. These attributes, as well as the nebris or animal skin that she wears over one shoulder, identify her as a maenad, a female follower of Dionysos, the god of wine.

A mastos was a drinking cup designed for use at a symposium. A relatively rare form produced by Athenian potters only in the later 500s B.C., it provided a challenge to the drinker. The nipple at the base would not have provided a stable support, and any wine within would have to be consumed before the vessel was put down.