This drinking cup (kylix) is an example of the elaborately painted vessels used during symposia in ancient Greece. The broad, shallow bowl with two handles atop a pedestal base permitted the drinker to maintain a recumbent pose while drinking, as was customary in a symposium. The very act of bringing the cup to the drinker’s mouth transforms the cup into a mask; the painted eyes become the drinker’s, the handles turn into ears, and the round base converts into an open mouth.

kylix, also spelled cylix, in ancient Greek pottery, wide-bowled drinking cup with horizontal handles, one of the most popular pottery forms from Mycenaean times through the classical Athenian period. There was usually a painted frieze around the outer surface, depicting a subject from mythology or everyday life, and on the bottom of the inside a painting often depicting a dancing or drinking scene. Kylikes were often produced in sets to accompany a wine serving vessel, or krater.