Terracotta vase in the shape of a cockerel

ca. 650–600 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 170
This small vase, inscribed with the twenty-six letters of the Etruscan alphabet, may have been a container for ink. The head acts as a stopper and could be attached to the bird’s body by a cord. The missing tail no doubt curved downward to form a third foot.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta vase in the shape of a cockerel
  • Period: Archaic
  • Date: ca. 650–600 BCE
  • Culture: Etruscan
  • Medium: Terracotta; bucchero
  • Dimensions: H. 4 1/16 in. (10.31 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.97.21a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

Audio

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1215. Terracotta vase in the shape of a cockerel, Part 1

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