In the pottery of ancient Greece, a kylix is the most common type of cup in the period, usually associated with the drinking of wine. The cup often consists of a rounded base and a thin stem under a basin. The cup is accompanied by two handles on opposite sides.
Symposium scene on pottery
Example of a kylix with an offset lip
Example of a Type A kylix
Example of a kylix type B
A cup is an open-top container used to hold liquids for pouring or drinking. Although mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring. Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, pottery, wood, stone, bone, polystyrene, plastic, aluminium or other materials, and are usually fixed with stem, handles, or other adornments, though a beaker has no handle or stem. Cups are used for quenching thirst across a wide range of cultures and social classes, and different styles of cups may be used for different liquids or in different situations. Cups of different styles may be used for different types of liquids or other foodstuffs, in different situations, or for decoration.
Rococo cup with saucer, circa 1753, soft-paste porcelain with glaze and enamel, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Ancient Egyptian lotiform cup; 1295-1185 BC; faience; height: 15 cm, diameter: 9.1 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art
Silver beaker, possibly Norwegian, second half of the 17th century, silver, overall: 9.2 × 8.3 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Chinese cup and saucer; 1745; porcelain; diameter: 10.2 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art