Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

Little-master cups Little-master cups are a type of Attic black-figure cups, produced around the middle and third quarter of the sixth century BC. Their name is based on their fine small-format decoration. Little-master cups are later in origin than Siana cups, bu ...

. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. They resemble Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly distinguished from the rest of the body. They had high feet on broad bases. Early specimens in particular feature hollow conical feet with walls of even thickness. Cup by Ergotimes Antikensammlung Berlin

This cup type was painted on the lip/rim. Usually, one to three figures are placed at the centre of the front and back, painted directly onto the base clay. Complete mythical scenes were rare. Often, the lip remained completely undecorated. Further decorations were painted in the handle zone. They nearly always included inscriptions between the handle

palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...

s, as well as a painted strip near the upper edge. Rarely, the palmettes are replaced with animal or human figures. The inscriptions can be of mottos or toasts, or simply be meaningless arrays of letters, suggesting a mostly ornamental function. The cup interior frequently contained circular figural paintings, often surrounded by flame patterns with white dots at the points. In some cases, the lip is decorated with vegetal ornaments rather than figures. It remains unknown why

band cup Band cups are a form of ancient Greek Attic Little-master cups. The lip of a band cup is black and slightly concave. At the joint between vase body and foot, there is often a red ring. The external figural decoration is in the area of the handles ...

s and lip cups existed side by side for a considerable period. Perhaps, each variant had its own distinctive advantages. For example, it may have been more pleasant to drink from the undecorated black-slipped lip of a band cup, while the strong ridge underneath the rim of lip cups would have prevented spilling more effectively. Lip cups were somewhat more difficult to produce. Well-known artists of this type were

Tleson Tleson (active around 555-535 BC) was an Attic potter and perhaps also a vase painter in the black-figure style. He was the son of the famous potter Nearchos and brother of Ergoteles. His workshop apparently produced mostly Little-master cups. ...

, Sakonides,

Hermogenes Hermogenes is a Greek name (), meaning "born of Hermes". It may refer to: * Hermogenes (potter) (fl. c. 550 BC), Attic Greek potter * Hermogenes (philosopher) (fl. c. 400 BC), Greek * Hermogenes of Priene (fl. c. 200 BC), Greek architect * Hermog ...

, Epitimos, Xenokles, the

Xenokles Painter The Xenokles Painter was an Attic vase painter in the black-figure style, active around the middle of the 6th century BC. His real name is unknown. His conventional name is based on the fact that he often painted vases made by the potter Xenokles ...

, the

Taleides Painter The Taleides Painter was an Attic vase painter of the black-figure style, active in the second half of the 6th century BC. His conventional name is derived from his close cooperation with the potter Taleides, many of whose vases he painted. He ...

, the

Phrynos Painter The Phrynos Painter was an Attic black-figure vase painter, active in Athens between c. 560 and 545 BC. He was allocated the conventional name "Phrynos Painter" after the potter Phrynos, as he had painted three cups signed by the latter: *Bo ...

and Phrynos.

Bibliography

* John Boardman: ''Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Ein Handbuch'', Mainz 1977, , p. 65f. {{Commons category, Lip cups Ancient Greek pot shapes