Parts of a Vase – Lip, Neck, Shoulder, Body and Foot

All 10 parts on the diagram

Show the list

The parts 6

Lip (rim) The edge around the opening at the top.
Neck The narrow part between the lip and the shoulder.
Handle A loop for lifting. This vase has one on each side.
Shoulder Where the body curves in toward the neck.
Body (belly) The main part of the vase.
Foot (base) The base that the vase stands on.

Four Greek shapes 4

Amphora A jar with two handles, used for storing provisions.
Hydria A water jar with three handles: two to lift, one to pour.
Krater A deep bowl with a wide mouth, for mixing wine with water.
Kylix A shallow two-handled cup, usually on a tall foot.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where both of these use it: (1) Gisela M. A. Richter and Marjorie J. Milne, Shapes and Names of Athenian Vases, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1935, read as full text at https://archive.org/details/GISELARichterMarjorieMilneShapesAndNamesOfAthenianVases1935 (the parts of a Greek pot: mouth, neck, body, foot, with lip, shoulder and handles; amphora: a jar with two handles reaching from mouth or neck to body, used for holding provisions; hydria: a water jar with three handles, the upright one for carrying or pouring and the two at the sides for lifting; krater: a vessel with a deep, broad body and wide mouth, used for mixing wine and water; kylix: a two-handled cup with a comparatively shallow bowl and generally a high foot); (2) Wikipedia, Vase, Amphora and Typology of Greek vase shapes, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vase, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphora and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typology_of_Greek_vase_shapes (the foot or base, the body, the shoulder where the body curves inward, the neck which gives height, the lip, and handles; the key rim, neck, handle, shoulder, belly or body, foot; amphora, hydria, krater and kylix among the Greek shapes). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a vase, from the top down, are the lip, the neck, the shoulder, the body and the foot. Many vases also have handles. The second drawing shows four shapes of Greek vase to name.

Read the full guide

From the top down

Number 1 is the lip, the edge around the opening. The neck is the narrow part below it. The shoulder is where the vase widens, the body is the main part, and the foot is what it stands on. The handles here run from the neck to the shoulder.

Four Greek shapes

An amphora is a storage jar with two handles. A hydria is a water jar with three. A krater is a deep bowl with a wide mouth, and a kylix is a shallow cup on a tall foot.

The names run like a body: lip, neck, shoulder, body, foot.
Rim means the same as lip, belly the same as body, and base the same as foot.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a vase called?

From the top: the lip or rim, the neck, the shoulder, the body or belly, and the foot or base. Some vases also have handles, and some have a lid.

What is the neck of a vase?

The narrow part between the lip and the shoulder. It gives the vase height. Not every vase has one: on some, the neck and body form one continuous curve.

What is the difference between an amphora and a hydria?

An amphora is a jar with two handles, used for storing provisions. A hydria is a water jar with three handles: two at the sides for lifting and an upright one at the back for carrying and pouring.

What is a kylix?

A Greek cup: a wide, shallow bowl with two handles, usually on a tall foot.