South Italian / late 400s–300s BCE
Black-Gloss Mug
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Black-Gloss Mug as ceramic (South Italian · late 400s–300s BCE).
The black-gloss finish of this mug derives from fired clay slip, not black pigment.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic.
The museum's collection notes: Nearly cylindrical with a vertical ring handle, this vessel looks like a modern cup for tea or coffee—drinks not known in the classical world. Although the shape is unusual for an ancient drinking vessel, other examples exist, and the manufacture is typical. Turned on a wheel, the cup has a flat base and seven applied fillets adorning the exterior. Its black-gloss coating derives from the same firing technology used for black-figure and red-figure decoration.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBlack-Gloss MugOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.