Kylix engraved with palmettes Ancient Greek, 4th century BC. Pottery. 25 cm width at handles and 7,5 cm height Provenance: - Private collection, French aristocratic, from their Parisian apartment on Rue de l'Université, before 1960. Condition: Good, crack at the base but not broken, see photos. Black slipware ceramic with red reserve painted and engraved with palmettes, with a circle in reserve on an ochre background in the center of the cup. The ceramic kylix cups of Magna Graecia represent a remarkable fusion of Greek artistic tradition and local Italic influences. A kylix was a wide, shallow drinking cup with two horizontal handles and a slender stem, primarily used during symposia, the social drinking gatherings central to Greek culture. In the colonies of southern Italy, these vessels were not only functional objects but also important artistic expressions. Vegetal decoration played a significant role in the aesthetic language of these kylikes. Artists frequently painted elegant patterns of ivy leaves, vine tendrils, palmettes, and lotus flowers across the interior tondo and exterior surfaces. These plant motifs were closely associated with fertility, nature, and the god Dionysus, linking the act of drinking wine to symbolism of growth and vitality. The flowing vegetal designs often framed mythological scenes or appeared as independent ornamental bands, demonstrating balance and harmony in composition. Crafted mainly in the red-figure technique, many kylikes from Magna Graecia display refined brushwork and dynamic curvature in their vegetal ornamentation. The combination of precise form, symbolic imagery, and natural motifs illustrates how these ceramic vessels embodied both daily life and spiritual meaning in the ancient Mediterranean world.