Terracotta modiolus (drinking cup)

A reddish terracotta modiolus, a flared drinking cup with a single loop handle on the right, its body decorated with a low-relief frieze. A standing figure in drapery appears among foliage and a curving form near the base, below a beaded band under the rim.

Look closer: A carved face or mask-like form sits on the body near the handle, easy to overlook.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 5–40 CE

Medium

Terracotta

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917