Large handle-less kantharos, Etruria (Italy), 600-550 BCE

Large handleless kantharos, or chalice, Etruscan Bucchero fabric, decorated with winged male heads in relief and some incised motifs, Etruscan, Etruria, Italy, 600 BC-550 BC

A kantharos is a cup used for drinking wine and water. It normally has handles, unlike this one. The cup is decorated with winged male heads which are usually associated with the Greek god Hermes. Hermes was the messenger of the gods, led the dead to the underworld and was worshiped as a god of fertility. This chalice is from Etruria, an ancient state of Italy, now part of Umbria and Tuscany. The colour and design is typical of Etruscan pottery and would have been polished to give a high shine.