The Kernos: Many Cups, Many Possibilities

November Question: What Is a Kernos?

As autumn brings shorter days and the first rains, the Greek countryside enters the season of ploughing and sowing. It is a time of seed, grain and offerings for the harvest to come, and so a fitting moment for November’s question: what is a kernos?

A kernos (plural kernoi) is a multiple vessel combining several small receptacles in a single object. The name is used for examples from different periods, including prehistoric vessels from the Cyclades and later Greek ritual pottery.

Often interpreted as containers for offerings, these vessels could hold and present different foods or substances together. In later Greek ritual, certain types were associated with Demeter and Persephone. Ceremonial significance and practical use could go hand in hand, and the precise function of each example is not always known.

At ATTIC BLACK, we explore these possibilities through two creations.

Our one-of-a-kind Melian-inspired kernos combines elements from prehistoric vessels now in the British Museum and the Musée national de Céramique, Sèvres (3552). Handcrafted at the THETIS workshop, it brings these ancient forms together in a new composition. Today, it can be enjoyed as a sculptural centrepiece, a decorative vessel or a candleholder for several candles.

Our black-glazed kernos, based on P 815 from the Athenian Agora, brings another version of the form to the modern table. A central bowl surrounded by small cups offers space for contrasting flavours, a gathering of foods in one handmade vessel.

Ancient forms, new possibilities.