Kiss (Briseis Painter)
Kiss is an example of Greek art dating from around 480 BC. This ceramic cup by the Briseis Painter is housed at the Louvre in Paris France. It is a Kylix[1] (drinking cup), "a type of wine-drinking cup with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a stem from a foot and usually with two horizontal handles disposed symmetrically." This type of red-figure pottery[2] was used at the Symposium [3] a large outdoors drinking party. "As the images would be covered with wine, the scenes would only be revealed in stages as the wine was drained. They were often designed with this in mind, with scenes created so that they would surprise or titillate the drinker as they were revealed." [1]
The image on this cup depicts a passionate kiss between a man and his teenaged lover (Ephebe).
