Stemmed Cup

A band of stylized nautilus shells decorates each side of this Minoan kylix, a stemmed drinking cup. During the Late Bronze Age, Minoan artistic styles exerted a notable influence on the arts of the Greek mainland. Beginning around 1500 B.C., Mycenaean potters decorated their wares with naturalistic renderings of marine life, a style adopted from Minoan pottery workshops on Crete. Over the centuries, these images became more stylized, as can be seen on this cup. Both the shape of the vessel and its marine motif are typical of the pottery production at the Palace of Minos at Knossos on Crete during the period from about 1350 to 1300 B.C.

This was a period of growth and prosperity for Mycenaean and Minoan societies. Standardization in both the forms and decoration of pottery developed among widely spread communities—evidence of organized, highly centralized cultures. The stemmed kylix was one of the most popular vases in this period. Enormous quantities of these vessels were kept in palace storerooms to furnish large banquets. Many have also been found in sanctuaries, where they would have served a ceremonial function, perhaps used for cult activities such as ritual drinking.