Cups (Kylikes)

The cup is an open drinking vessel with two horizontal handles (See also skyphos, kotyle, and kantharos). In sixth- and fifth-century Athens a number of cup types has been recognised:

Komast Cup (c. 600-575): Black-figure cup named after the chief subject chosen for its decoration, namely revellers (komasts). Komast cups have a narrow, offset lip and a short, flaring foot.

Siana Cup (c. 575-550). Black-figure cup named after Siana on the island of Rhodes, where some examples were found. The foot and the off-set lip are higher than those of the Komast cup. Unlike Komast cups they are decorated on the inside. There are two types of decoration: overlap and double decker.

Little Master Cups (c. 550-525) take their name from the miniature style of figure decoration which German archaeologists called Kleinmeister. They are known in two princpal types - Lip and Band.

Cup, Type A (c. 525-500): cup with a shallow bowl, and a short stout foot. A prominent ring marks the join between bowl and stem. The earliest known examples may have been made by Exekias.

The Type B cup may have been invented by Amasis (who made and signed several examples) in the last decade of the sixth century. Generally more delicate than the cup of Type A, it has a higher foot and is usually decorated in red-figure.

CupType C: cup with an off-set lip and a prominent ring between the lower end of the stem and the foot known in Athens from about 525.

Komast Cup ht. 11 cm.	Siana Cup - Overlap ht. 14cm.	Band Cup ht. 11.5cm.	Lip Cup ht. 10cm.
Cup of Type A ht. 10cm	Siana Cup - Double decker ht. 14.5cm	'Droop' Cup ht. 12cm.
Cup of Type A ht. 12cm.	Small proto-Siana cup ht. 6cm	Cup of Type B ht. 8cm	Cup of Type C ht. 9.5cm.