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Bilingual Eye-Cup (Kylix) with Hermes and Nereids

A stemmed cup with two handles and a wide bowl is decorated on the interior with a male figure in a running pose. He is painted entirely in black and is placed in a circle with a reddish background. Both sides of the exterior are decorated with two large eyes and a red-figured woman who holds a dolphin in each hand.

A stemmed cup with two handles and a wide bowl is decorated on the interior with a male figure in a running pose. He is painted entirely in black and is placed in a circle with a reddish background. Both sides of the exterior are decorated with two large eyes and a red-figured woman who holds a dolphin in each hand.

Attributed To Oltos
Culture Greek
Title Bilingual Eye-Cup (Kylix) with Hermes and Nereids
Date 530–520 BCE
Medium Terracotta and added color
Dimensions Base (diameter of foot): 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
Overall: 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)
rim diameter: 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 80.73

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About this Work

An eye-cup is a specific variation of a stemmed drinking cup (kylix) that was popular in the second half of the 6th century BCE. The name comes from its decoration: two large eyes are painted on the exterior of the cup. The eyes are apotropaic (they were meant to ward off evil), but they are also whimsical, because, as the cup was used, it would appear to be a mask in front of the drinker's face. Other figures often appear between the eyes on the exterior; in this case two nereids, nymphs of the sea, are depicted. Hermes, the messenger god, appears in the interior of the cup.

During the same period in the sixth century, artistic tastes began to shift from black-figure (black figures on a red ground) to red-figure painting (red figures on a black ground). This cup is identified as being “bilingual” because it represents both techniques—black-figure on the interior, red-figure on the exterior. It allows the drinker (or viewer) to compare the visual effects of the two techniques.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Bilingual Eye-Cup (Kylix) with Hermes and Nereids | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=80.73