Party tricks and drinking games on drinking cups continue to amuse and delight me as they surely did an ancient audience. This gentleman is deep into an evening of carousing as he shows off to his companions, balancing on his left hand and right foot while bringing his left leg up and over and managing to take a sip from the kylix held in his free hand. What balance! What flair! What dainty feet and prodigious haunches!
His feats of dexterity and balance (and apparently stretchiness) remind me of those famously displayed on the glorious red-figure psykter at the BM, but this skyphos at the Getty is arguably even more interesting given the really rare technique used. Dubbed Six’s technique, figures were painted on and the is result a bit more colorful than the more enduring red- and black-technique. Here the cup in white might well represent a metal vessel, or just be a flight of fancy by a creative painter.
May your Friday be filled with a bit of whimsy, a bit of carousing, and your own feats of creative tippling!
