The Cactus Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter ca. 510-500 BCE. Named for a distinct style of palmette tendrils, this
is mainly a painter of the lekythos. Scenes include Herakles, Ajax and Achilles, horsemen, and youths. Findspots are Eretria
and Thebes.
A rock is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals
included, its chemical composition and the way in which it is formed. Rocks are usually grouped into three main groups: igneous
rocks, metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks.
The Group of Rhodes 12264 is a group of Athenian black-figure painters of Little Master cups and other cup shapes active beginning
in the mid-6th c. BCE. The name derives from a Droop cup discovered at Camiros, Rhodes (Rhodes, Archaeological Museum 12264;
BAPD 302520) showing a fight with a chariot on both sides. Other subjects are fights with chariots, Theseus, animals, and
the interiors of stemless cups are decorated with a gorgoneion. Findspots include Xanthos (Turkey), Rhtisona, Rhodes, Samos,
Spain, and Italy.
The Tleson Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter of Little Master cups active from ca. 555 to 535 BCE. The name derives
from vases signed by the potter “Tleson, son of Nearchos” (“Tleson ho Nearcho epoiesen”), and it is possible that painter
and potter are one in the same. Decorated shapes are band-cups and lip-cups, and subjects include animals, Herakles, and Theseus.
Findspots are in Vulci and elsewhere in Italy, Sicily, Berezan, Naukratis, and the Athenian Acropolis.
The Providence Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 475-450 BCE. The name derives from a neck amphora (Providence,
Rhode Island School of Design 15.005; BAPD 207352) showing Apollo with a kithara. Other shapes are the Panathenaic amphora,
hydria, lebes gamikos, stamnos, lekythos, oinochoe, column krater, and cups. Subjects include Dionysos and followers, other
gods and goddesses, the Apotheosis of Herakles, women (domestic activities, pursuit scenes), athletes, warriors, revelers
(“komasts”), and a wedding. Some findspots are Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci), sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Athens (Acropolis,
Agora), Eretria, Thebes, Ampurias (Spain), and Al Mina.
The Delos Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 520-500 BCE. The name derives from a cup found in Delos
(Delos, Archaeological Museum 652; BAPD 201559) showing a satyr and maenad on one side and a fight on the other. Other subjects
include Dionysos and Herakles. Other findspots are the Athenian Agora and Gravisca.
The Type A plemochoё is the earlier of the two types and is differentiated by its shorter, wider flaring foot. Authorities
do not fully agree on the name of this vase and it is also called ‘exaleiptron’ and (incorrectly) ‘kothon.’ For further information
on terminology, see 'plemochoё.'
The Painter of Louvre G265 is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 470-460 BCE. The name derives from a cup found
at Vulci (Paris, Louvre G265; BAPD 204532) showing the Deeds of Theseus. Other subjects include religion, warriors, athletes,
Dionysos and followers, revelers (“komasts”), and the Death of Orpheus. Findspots are Vulci, Orvieto, and Nola.
The P.S. Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter connected to the Syriskos Group, active ca. 470’s BCE and earlier. The
name derives from the signature as potter (“Pistoxenos Syriskos epoiesen”) on two vessels (the skyphos) belonging to a private
collection in England (Whitby, UK, Mulgrave Castle). Subjects on both sides of one skyphos are women at a fruit tree (BAPD
352513), and on the other skyphos are Theseus and Prokrustes and Theseus and Sinis (BAPD 352514). Findspots are unknown.
Sokles is an Athenian black-figure painter of Little Master cups active in the mid-6th c. BCE. The name derives from vases
signed as potter ("epoiesen") by Sokles, and it is possible the potter and painter may be one in the same. Shapes are lip-cups,
band-cups, and the kantharos. Subjects include Herakles fighting centaurs, youths, and Trojan War subjects. Findspots include
Etruria, Berezan, Daskyleion (Turkey), and Greece.
Sir John Beazley used the term group in two different ways. The first was for vases that were closely related but could not
be assigned to a single painter's hand. The second indicates the work of artists with similar or related styles, such as
the Pioneer Group. Some groups, such as the Tyrrhenian Group or the Leagros Group, belong to both categories.
The Guglielmi Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter, or group of painters (Guglielmi Group) associated with the Tyrrhenian
Group, active ca. 560-545/50 BCE. The name derives from an amphora formerly in the Guglielmi collection (Rome, Vatican 34526;
BAPD 310055) showing Amazons and warriors. Shapes include the ovoid neck amphora and the hydria. Subjects include male revelers
("komasts"), Trojan War battles, Amazons, and centaurs. Vulci is the primary findspot.
Oltos is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 525-500 BCE that painted bilingual cups (black-figure interior, red-figure
exterior). The name is inscribed on vases as both potter (“epoiesen”) and painter (“egrapsen”). The painter is thought to
have collaborated with several potters, including Euxitheos and Kachrylion. Shapes are mainly cups, but also the Nikosthenic
amphora, stamnos, and psykter. Subjects include gods, Herakles, the Trojan War, Theseus, Dionysos and followers, and warriors
riding dolphins. Some findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri, Orvieto, Chiusi), Athens (Acropolis, Agora), and Naukratis.
The Berlin Painter (active c. 490s-c. 460s B.C.) is the conventional name given to an Attic Greek vase-painter who is widely
regarded as a rival to the Kleophrades Painter, among the most talented vase painters of the early 5th century B.C.
The Euphiletos Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active in the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives
from an inscription “Euphiletos kalos” (“Euphiletos is beautiful”) on a Panathenaic amphora from Vulci (London, British Museum
B134; BAPD 301687) showing a pentathlon. Other shapes include the neck amphora, hydria, belly amphora (Type B), oinochoe,
and plaques. Scenes include athletes, chariots, Herakles, Dionysos, and weddings. Findspots are many sites in Etruria, the
Athenian Acropolis, and Cyprus.
Coral red (or “intentional red”) is the term used to describe a color applied to some vases in the 6th and 5th c. BCE. The
color was painted onto entire vases (called “red-bodied” vessels) but did not adhere well to the surface. It is debated whether
coral red derives from a mixture of red ochre or comes from a refined form of natural clay and yellow ochre that transforms
to coral red when fired. The earliest known example of coral red is a kylix signed as potter (“epoiesen”) by Exekias (Munich,
Antikensammlungen 2044; BAPD 310403) showing Dionysos reclining inside a ship on the cup’s interior (see Exekias). The technique
appears mostly on small shapes and on a volute krater attributed to the Kleophrades Painter (see Kleophrades Painter).
The Mastos Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 530 BCE. The name derives from a mastos (breast-shaped cup)
(Würzburg, Martin von Wagner Museum 391; BAPD 302277). Other shapes are the amphora and hydria. Subjects include Dionysos,
Herakles, warriors, and the symposion. Findspots are the Athenian Acropolis and Etruria.
Exekias is an Athenian potter ("epoiesen") and painter ("egrapsen") active from ca. 545-530 BCE. The painter’s work is generally
considered to represent the apex of the black-figure technique, characterized by elegant draughtsmanship and intricately detailed
ornamentation. Closely associated with Group E, Exekias mainly decorates the amphora, but also the pinax (plaque) and cups.
Among his best known works are Ajax and Achilles, Achilles and Penthesilea, the Suicide of Ajax, and Dionysos reclining in
a boat in possible reference to a Homeric Hymn. The plaques depict scenes connected to the funeral and perhaps lined the inside
of the tomb. Main findspots are Athens (Acropolis, Agora), Italy (mostly Etruria), as well as Samos, Miletos, Berezan, and
Cyrene.
The Nessos Painter (also called the Nettos Painter) is an Athenian black-figure painter active from ca. 620-600 BCE. The name
derives from an amphora found in Athens (Athens, National Museum 1002; BAPD 300025) showing a scene of Herakles fighting the
centaur Nessos on the neck. Shapes include large vessels, such as the neck amphora, belly amphora, and skyphos-krater. The
painter prefers mythological scenes, large figures, and Corinthian-style filling ornamentation. Findspots include Athens and
Attica, Samos, Cyrene, Naukratis, and Cerveteri.
The Camel Painter is a black-figure painter active in the mid-6th c. BCE. There is debate about whether the painter is Athenian
or Boeotian. The name derives from a skyphos (Munich, Antikensammlungen 2008; BAPD 310291) showing youths with a camel. Other
scenes are athletes and Ajax with the body of Achilles. Shapes are the skyphos and cups. Findspots include sites in Boeotia
and Miletus.
The Andokides Painter (sometimes referred to as the Lysippides Painter) is an Athenian red-figure painter active during the
second half of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives from vases signed by Andokides as potter ("epoiesen"). Though known for using
the black-figure technique, the painter is also considered the first to work regularly in the red-figure technique after its
invention ca. 530-520 BCE (see Andokides Painter [Black-figure]; for the potter, see Andokides [Black-figure]; see Lysippides
Painter [Black-figure]). As a red-figure vase-painter, the artist is best known for bilingual vases (decorated with the same
scene on both sides: one in red-figure and the other in black-figure). It remains unclear whether the bilingual vases were
painted by a single artist or by two. Shapes are mainly the amphora and cups, and scenes are mythological (Ajax and Achilles,
Herakles, Dionysos). Findspots include Vulci, Orvieto, other sites in Italy, Athens (Acropolis, Agora), and Perachora.
The sprinkler varies in size and shape but is generally a round vessel with one or two handles and a flat, perforated bottom.
A small hole at the top was used to fill it with liquid, and when the vessel was shaken the liquid would sprinkle from the
holes in the base. The context in which the sprinkler would have been used is not entirely clear; at least one was found in
the Kerameikos. It may have been used for ritual purification, for lifting and straining wine from a larger vessel, or for
aerating wine as it was sprinkled into a drinking cup. Its shape has been likened to both the mastos and rhyton and is sometimes
(incorrectly) called “klepsydra.”
Painter N is an Athenian black-figure painter connected to the workshop of the potter Nikosthenes and active ca. 540-520 BCE.
The Nikosthenic amphora was probably decorated by Painter N as well as the kyathos, cups, and psykter. Decorative subjects
include satyrs, Dionysos, warriors, revelers ("komasts"), athletes, riders, and scenes with Athena. Most have been discovered
in Etruria.
Archikles is an Athenian black-figure potter of Little Master cups active in the mid-6th c. BCE. The name derives from the
signature on cups signed as potter ("epoiesen") by Archikles. A band-cup signed as potter by Archikles and Glaukytes shows
the Kalydonian Boar Hunt on one side and Theseus fighting the Minotaur on the other. The main findspot is Vulci.
The term kothon is used for a variety of different shapes. Some equate it (wrongly) with the exaleiptron, while others use
the word to refer to a deep one-handled drinking cup. The vessel is sometimes ribbed and was carried by soldiers and travellers.
The word kothon can also refer to the pilgrim flask shape.
The Kyllenios Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter of the Tyrrhenian Group dated ca. 560-550 BCE and a painter of the
ovoid neck amphora. The name derives from a vase found in Cerveteri (Berlin, Antikensammlung F1704; BAPD 310014) featuring
the Birth of Athena and the inscription: “I am Hermes of Kyllene.” Other subjects are Herakles, centaurs, Amazons, the Kalydonian
Boar Hunt, athletes, and the Gigantomachy. The main findspot is Cerveteri.
The Taleides Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter of Little Master cups active in the second quarter of the 6th c.
BCE. The name derives from vases signed as potter (“epoiesen”) by Taleides. Shapes include the lekythos, oinochoe, and hydria.
Subjects are youths, warriors, riders, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Herakles. Known findspots are Italy and Sicily, Berezan,
and Greece.
Aryballos is the conventional name for an ovoid or ball-shaped oil pot with one or two handles. Used by athletes, it can be
footed or footless. Some aryballoi are potted in the shape of a head, animal, or bird.
The Camtar Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter dated to the mid-6th c. BCE. The name derives from vases in Cambridge
(“Cam”) and Tarquinia (“Tar”). The main shape is the ovoid neck amphora. Subjects include Herakles/Amazons and the Arming
of Achilles. Findspots include Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci, Tarquinia), Marseilles, Sardis, and Naukratis.
Originiating in the Protogeometric period, the shape is one of the four types in use at the time. The name is derived from
the location of its handles, which are placed on the shoulder of the vessel. The shoulder-handled amphora seems to have been
developed in Athens at the beginning of the Protogeometric period but only became popular at the end, when it sometimes replaced
the belly-handled amphora in female burials.
Psiax is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 525-500 BCE, who also worked in the black-figure technique (see Psiax [Black-figure])
and sometimes painted on white-ground. Formerly known as the Menon Painter, Psiax signs as painter ("egrapsen") on some red-figure
vases or simply as “Psiax” in black-figure. Shapes include cups, the amphora, alabastron, and mastoid. Scenes derive from
both stock (youths, warriors, women dancing) and myth (Herakles, Dionysos, Amazons). Findspots include the Athenian Acropolis,
sites in Etruria, and Kerch.
Phintias is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 525-510 BCE, who signed as both painter (“egrapsen”) and potter (“epoiesen”).
Along with Euthymides, Euphronios, and other vase-painters, Phintias is considered a member of the Pioneer Group. Shapes connected
to the painter include both cups and large vessels, like the hydria, amphora (Type A), and krater. Smaller shapes connected
to the potter are the cup and the cockle-shell aryballos. Scenes include the symposion, fountain-house, and athletes. Some
findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Populonia, Orvieto, Tarquinia), the Athenian Acropolis, and Thasos.
The Group of the Courting Cups is a group of Athenian black-figure eye cups (Type A) dating to the late 6th c. BCE. The name
derives from homosexual courting couples shown on the exterior. A gorgoneion is portrayed in the interior. Some examples are
attributed to the FP Class. Findspots are Berezan, Vulci, Thebes, Sicily, and Ampurias (Spain).
Hermogenes is an Athenian black-figure potter of Little Master cups active ca. 560-540 BCE. The name derives from vases signed
as potter ("epoiesen") by Hermogenes, and it is possible the potter and painter may be one in the same. The potter specialized
in lip-cups, many of which depict female heads in outline. Some band-cups are decorated with a warrior on a chariot and may
be the work of a seperate painter. Findspots include Italy, Sicily, the Athenian Agora, and Miletos.
The Perseus Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-450 BCE, and a member of the Mannerist Group. The name
derives from a hydria found at Vulci (Berlin, Antikensammlung F2377; BAPD 206718) showing Athena and Perseus. Other shapes
are the pelike, neck amphora, loutrophoros, lebes gamikos, and krater. Scenes include Dionysos and satyrs, other gods and
goddesses, herms, and funerary scenes. Findspots are the Athenian Agora, Camiros (Rhodes), Cyrenaica (Libya), sites southern
Italy, and Etruria (Vulci, Cortona).
Myson is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 500-475 BCE. The name derives from signatures as painter (“egrapsen”) and
potter (“epoiesen”) on a column krater from the Athenian Acropolis (Athens, National Museum Akr. 806; BAPD 202359) showing
Athena. Other shapes are the pelike, calyx krater, psykter, and oinochoe. Scenes include revelers (“komasts”), the symposion,
athletes, Dionysos and satyrs, Croesus seated on a pyre, Amazons, the Struggle for the Delphic Tripod, and other scenes with
Herakles. Some findspots are Athens (Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos), Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri), Orvieto, Falerii, Locri (south
Italy), and Kerch.
The Painter of Vatican 365 is an Athenian black-figure painter active in the third quarter of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives
from a vase found in Cerveteri (Rome, Vatican A365; BAPD 301601) depicting the Battle of Gods and Giants. Other subjects are
chariots, warriors, and Herakles. Mainly a painter of the amphora, findspots for these vases are in Etruria and Cyprus.
The Haimon Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 490-460 BCE. The name derives from several scenes showing
the Sphinx and her victim (Haimon, son of Creon and Eurydice). Many vases apply white-ground or silhouette techniques. The
main shape is the lekythos, including the “chimney lekythos,” as well as the skyphos, mastoid cup, oinochoe, hydria, and pyxis.
Scenes include chariots, Dionysos and followers, Athena, and Herakles. Findspots are widespread: Athens (Kerameikos, Agora,
Acropolis), sites across Greece, Italy and Sicily, Ampurias (Spain), Miletus, Al Mina (north Syria), Cyrene, and the Black
Sea.
The Lion Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 630-600 BCE. On examples of the neck amphora, there are lions,
boars, birds, and hybrid creatures. The major findspot is Vari.
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals
(such as aluminium, manganese, nickel or zinc) and sometimes non-metals or metalloids such as arsenic, phosphorus or silicon.
The nestoris is a wide-mouthed jar with two horizontal high-swung handles from shoulder to lip. It is South Italian and derived
from a native, non-Greek shape.
The Falmouth Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter affiliated with the Komast Group and dated to the 560’s BCE or later.
The name derives from a cup formerly in Falmouth, England (BAPD 305012). Shapes include Komast cups depicting male revelers
("komasts"). Most of the findspots are outside of Greece.
The Group of the Dresden Lekanis is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active in the first quarter of the 6th c. BCE.
The name derives from a lekanis found in Corinth (Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Albertinum ZV 1464; BAPD 300250), showing
a male and animals. Some vases are attributed to a single hand (Painter of the Dresden Lekanis), who is thought to have been
trained in Attica and later emigrated to Boeotia, becoming identified with the Horse-bird Painter/Group. Shapes include the
lekanis, amphora, the skyphos-krater, and chalice. A dinos in the Athenian Agora (P334; BAPD 300278) portrays the Kalydonian
Boar Hunt, Funeral Games of Pelias, male revelers (“komasts”), a satyr, and a maenad. Findspots include Athens (Agora, Acropolis),
Smyrna, Ampurias, Taranto, and Corinth.
The Red-Line Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active late 6th to early 5th c. BCE. The name derives from the red
bands painted below the main composition. Shapes are the neck amphora, oinochoe, hydria, olpe, and pelike. Scenes include
Dionysos and followers, Herakles, chariots, the symposion, and warriors. Findspots are Vulci, Spina, Sicily (Morgantina, Gela,
Agrigento, Selinus), the Athenian Agora, Cyrene, and Cyprus.
Glass is an amorphous solid (non-crystalline) material that exhibits a glass transition, which is the reversible transition
in amorphous materials (or in amorphous regions within semicrystalline materials) from a hard and relatively brittle state
into a molten or rubber-like state.
Rarer than but similar to the psykter-amphora, the psykter-calyx-krater is a double-walled vessel meant to cool wine or water.
The outer vessel has a spout near the shoulder through which ice or ice water was poured into the space between the two walls.
It usually has a drain spout just above the foot, directly below the pour spout.
The canonical Type A pyxis has concave sides, a flat floor, and a flanged rim. Some have a low tripartite, quadripartite,
or continuous foot, while others have no foot. The lid is thrown separately and is flat on top with a concave outer edge that
continues and completes the curving concave wall of the pyxis body. It was created from the 6th c. into the first half of
the 4th c. BCE.
The Griffin-Bird Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter ca. 575-555 BC who decorated the Siana cup. The name derives
from the griffin-birds appearing on several examples. Subjects include animals, youths, and revelers ("komasts"). Findspots
include Taranto, Berezan, Corinth, the Athenian Acropolis, Miletus, and Naukratis.
The so-called Kalpis or Continuous-curve Hydria differs from the Shoulder Hydria in several ways: the neck, shoulder, and
body form a continuous curve; its vertical handle is cylindrical and is rooted on the neck rather than on the lip; its foot
shape is more varied; its rim is concave on top; and it is usually smaller. It was popular between the end of the sixth through
the fourth century B.C.
Added color refers to additional pigments that are painted onto a vase’s surface either before or after firing. It is a frequent
component of black-figure, red-figure, and white-ground vases. The most commonly added colors are matte white (primary clay
with minimal iron oxide) and matte red/purple (mainly red ochre), and occasionally added yellow. Other added colors are vegetable-based
greens, blues, and pinks, as well as gold (gilding), and were likely applied after the firing process.
The Civico Painter is an Athenian black-figure Siana cup painter active ca. 575-555 BCE. The name derives from a cup fragment
from Orvieto (Museo Civico 597; BAPD 300647) with male figures. Subjects include warriors, Theseus and the Minotaur, and athletes.
Findspots include Tocra (Libya), Taranto, Orvieto, and Thebes.
The Tithonos Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 500-480 BCE. The name derives from a neck amphora from Suessula
(Boston, Museum of Fine Arts 03.816; BAPD 203171) showing Eos and Tithonos. Other shapes are the lekythos and stamnos. Subjects
include Dionysos and followers, revelers (“komasts”), warriors, religion, and athletes. Findspots are Eretria, Kydonia (Crete),
Adria, Vulci, Nola, Gela, and Syracuse.
The Sandal Painter (also known as the Rhitsona Painter) is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 575-555 BCE. The name
derives from a lekythos found in Etruria (Bologna, Museo Civico Archeologico PU 204; BAPD 300643) showing one boy hitting
another with a sandal. Shapes include the Siana cup, lekythos, and Little Master cup. Subjects are athletes, satyrs, and warriors.
Findspots include Attica, the Athenian Agora, Ampurias, Etruria, Rhitsona, Naukratis, and the Black Sea.
The Harvard Art Museums is part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the
Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985) and four research centers:
the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis (founded in 1958), the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art (founded in 2002),
the Harvard Art Museums Archives, and the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies (founded in 1928). The three
museums that comprise the Harvard Art Museums were initially integrated into a single institution under the name Harvard University
Art Museums in 1983. University was dropped from the institutional name in 2008.
The Tyszkiewicz Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 490-470 BCE. The name derives from a calyx krater from
Vulci formerly in the Tyszkiewicz Collection (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts 97.368; BAPD 202631) showing Achilles and Memnon
on one side and Diomedes and Aeneas on the other. Shapes are kraters in different forms, the amphora in different forms, the
pelike, stamnos, and hydria. Subjects include the Trojan War, Dionysos and followers, the symposion, revelers (“komasts”),
Amazons, Theseus, and the Gigantomachy. Some findspots are Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci, Tarquinia), Spina, Falerii, sites in
Sicily, Athens (Acropolis, Agora), Histria (Romania), and Kerch.
The Swing Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 540-520 BCE. The name derives from an amphora (Boston, Museum
of Fine Arts 98.918; BAPD 301521) showing a woman on a swing. Shapes are different amphora types, including the Panathenaic
amphora. Scenes include both myth and everyday life: Herakles, Gigantomachy, centaurs, Amazons, Dionysos, warriors, riders,
athletes, and revelers ("komasts"). Many vases have been found in Etruria, as well as Greece, Sicily, Cyrene, and Miletos.
The Komast Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active from ca. 585-570 BCE or later. The name derives from
the prevalence of male revelers ("komasts" or “komast dancers”) decorating many vessels. The main shapes are the Komast cup,
skyphos, and column krater. Painters include the KX Painter, KY Painter, the Falmouth Painter, and the Palazzolo Painter.
Findspots are widespread and include Athens, Naukratis, Taranto, Ampurias, Miletus, and Berezan.
The Eucharides Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 500-470 BCE who painted in black-figure (see Eucharides
Painter [Black-figure]). The name derives from the inscription “Eucharides kalos” (“Eucharides is beautiful”) on a red-figure
stamnos (Copenhagen, National Museum 124 BAPD 202230) showing youths, women, and Eros. Shapes are cups, the column krater,
calyx krater, hydria, and lekythos. Subjects include youths, Dionysos and satyrs, Danae and Perseus, the symposion, warriors,
and religion. Findspots are Eleusis, Athens (Acropolis, Agora), Vulci, Spina, Cerveteri, Locri (south Italy), Pompeii, sites
in Sicily, Patera (Lycia, Turkey), and Naukratis.
The Briseis Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-470 BCE. The name derives from a cup found at Vulci (London,
British Museum E76; BAPD 204400) showing Achilles and Briseis. The main shape is the cup, but other shapes are the neck amphora,
Panathenaic amphora, column krater, lekythos, alabastron, pyxis, and plate. Subjects include warriors, athletes, Herakles,
Dionysos and followers, revelers (“komasts”), and religion. Some findspots are Adria, Etruria (Vulci, Tarquinia, Cerveteri),
sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Athens, and Naukratis.
‘Rhyton’ comes from a word for 'flow.' The term is used to denote a one-handled drinking cup whose bowl is fashioned into
the shape of an animal’s head (sheep, donkey, etc.) or occasionally a more complex creation (pygmy and crane, African child
and crocodile, mounted Amazon, camel and driver). It was originally made from horn, hence its shape. The idea was borrowed
from Persia.
The Class of C.M. 218 denotes a group of Athenian black-figure vases dating from the beginning of the mid-6th c. BCE. The
name derives from a neck amphora that is attributed to the Painter of Boston 01.17 found in Cerveteri, now in Paris (Cabinet
des Médailles 218), showing Dionysos with Apollo and maenads. The class consists of a variant of the Nikosthenic amphora,
including bilingual vases (decorated in two techniques) and two examples in red-figure signed as potter (“epoiesen”) by Pamphaios
that are attributed to the painter Oltos. The primary findspot is Cerveteri.
Red-figure is a light-on-dark technique used for figure decoration on a wide variety of shapes. It was invented in Athens
ca. 530-520 BCE. Red-figure decoration is created by leaving figures and shapes in reserve (see Reserving) on the untreated
or lightly treated surface of the vessel, often outlining them. Linear details are then created using gloss, dilute gloss,
and relief lines. The areas outside the outlined figures are painted with clay slip. Vases are fired in three stages, resulting
in reserved red figures (human and animal) against a black background. The red-figure technique was first used by the Andokides
Painter (see Andokides Painter [Red-figure]; see Andokides Painter [Black-figure]), who is best known for bilingual vases
(vessels decorated with the same scene on both sides, one in red-figure and the other in black-figure).
Neandros is an Athenian black-figure potter of Little Master cups active in the mid-6th c. BCE. The name derives from the
signature on cups signed as potter ("epoiesen") by Neandros. Decorating both band-cups and lip-cups, scenes include chariots,
men, and Herakles. Findspots are Vulci and Corinth.
The Pedieus Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active in the late 6th c. BCE. The name derives from the inscription
“Pedieus kalos” (“Pedieus is beautiful”) on several examples. Subjects include Amazons, horsemen, warriors, and women. Findspots
are Thebes, Athens, Camiros (Rhodes), and sites in Etruria (Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Gravisca).
The Wraith Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active in the third quarter of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives from
the ghost-like style of the figures on the vases. Shapes are cups and the lekythos, and subjects include warriors, riders,
Dionysos and followers, and Amazons. Findspots are the Athenian Acropolis, Thasos, Italy, Sicily, and France.
The white-ground technique refers to the application of a white clay slip on the surface of a vessel before adding figure
decoration. It is first found on some Geometric (see Geometric) and Orientalizing (see Orientalizing) vessels made in Athens
and Attica. Around 530 BCE, the technique appears on Athenian black-figure vases (see Black-figure), like those from the workshops
of Nikosthenes (see Nikosthenes), the Andokides Painter (see Andokides Painter [black-figure]), and Psiax (see Psiax), but
the inventor is uncertain. By the late 6th c. BCE, painters use the technique to decorate the black-figure lekythos and other
shapes. After ca. 480 BCE, the white-ground technique is used primarily for funerary subjects on the lekythos, and the figures
are painted in outline, semi-outline, and later polychrome. White-ground may have been inspired by stone vessels and has been
connected to wall and panel painting.
The Chiusi Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active in the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE who is associated with
the Leagros Group. The name derives from an amphora found at Chiusi (Chiusi, National Archaeological Museum 1812; BAPD 302092)
showing Ajax and Achilles. Shapes are mainly large vessels, including the amphora, hydria, and column krater. Scenes feature
Herakles and Dionysos with followers. Findspots are Etruria, southern Italy, and Athens.
The lydion derives its name from the area of Lydia in Asia Minor. It is a fat, handleless perfume pot with an outturned flat
lip used for the Lydian bakkaris perfume.
Apulia (Italian: Puglia)[note 1] is a region of Italy in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the
Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. It was a major producer of Red Figure
pottery during the
Classical period.
The Syriskos Group is a group of Athenian red-figure painters active ca. 470 BCE and earlier. The main painters are the Copenhagen
Painter, the Syriskos Painter, and the P.S. Painter. The group decorates vases of both common and unusual shapes.
The ring askos is a circular shape with a central cylindrical hole and a high belly with a marked shoulder. Most examples
of the ring askos have been identified as Corinthian or Boeotian and it is thought to be the inspiration for the Attic askos,
which will have a ring foot and a stouter body.
Based on Egyptian alabaster prototypes, this small vase for perfume or oil has a broad, flat mouth, narrow neck, a thin, bag-shaped
body (sometimes with lugs), and is usually footless. Used for women's toilet and for cult, its contents were extracted with
a dipstick.
Amasis was an ancient Attic potter, active in Athens between 560/550 and 530/520 BCE. Amasis’s pottery workshop also employed
a well-known painter, who is conventionally named the Amasis Painter after the potter, and generally considered as one of
the best Archaic vase painters.
The Madrid Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active in the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives from
a hydria in Madrid (Madrid, Archaeological Museum 10913; BAPD 301766) showing the Struggle for the Delphic Tripod. Shapes
are the hydria, neck amphora, and column krater. Scenes include Ajax and Achilles, Dionysos, and Herakles. Findspots are Vulci
and other sites in Etruria, Nola, Syracuse, and Athens.
The Burgon Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters dated to the second quarter of the 6th c. BCE. Attributed to
this group is the first complete Panathenaic amphora, the Burgon Vase (London, British Museum B130; BAPD 300828), named for
the scholar who discovered it. Other shapes include the oinochoe, plate, and pyxis. Subjects are daily life and Ajax and Achilles.
A pinax (plaque) from Athens represents a scene of prothesis (laying out the body of the deceased). Findspots include Athens,
Rhodes, Naukratis, and Brauron.
The Gorgon Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter who was active ca. 600-580 BCE. The name derives from a dinos (Paris,
Louvre E874; BAPD 300055) showing Perseus and Gorgons. Other shapes include the oinochoe, lekythos, amphora, and the olpe.
In addition to large animals, there are scenes of myth (Herakles, Hermes, centaurs). Findspots are Athens (Agora, Acropolis),
Naukratis, Heraion, Vari, and Cortona (Italy).
The Euaion Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 460-440 BCE. The name derives from the inscription “Euaion
kalos” (“Euaion is beautiful”) on a cup (Paris, Louvre G401; BAPD 209713) showing satyrs and maenads. The main shape is the
cup. Other shapes are the skyphos, oinochoe, pyxis, hydria, and calyx krater. Other subjects include the symposion, revelers
(“komasts”), athletes, warriors, Boreas and Oreithyia, Atalanta, and Theseus. Some findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri,
Orvieto), sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Aleria (Corsica), Athens (Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos), Le Cayla (France),
and Kerch.
The Group of the Paidikos Alabastra is a group of red-figure painters active ca. 520-500 BCE, who decorate a single shape
(the alabastron). The name derives from the potter (“epoiesen”) who signs as Paidikos on an alabastron from Eretria (Paris,
Louvre CA487; BAPD 200865) showing a youth and a woman. Some white-ground vases assigned to the group are signed “epoiesen”
by the potter Pasiades. Painters associated with the group include the Euergides Painter (see Euergides Painter [Red-figure])
and the Pasiades Painter (see Pasiades Painter [Red-figure]). Some findspots are Athens (Acropolis, unspecified sites), Boeotia,
Miletus, Delphi, Eretria, Ampurias (Spain), and Bologna.
Black-figure is a dark-on-light technique used for figure decoration on a wide variety of shapes. It was invented in Corinth
ca. 700 BCE and was used in Athens by ca. 630 BCE. The decoration is created by applying silhouetted figures (see Silhouette)
in clay slip to the surface of the vessel, incising linear details, and sometimes adding color before firing (see Added Color;
see Added Red; see Added White). Vases are fired in three stages, resulting in black figures (human and animal) against an
untreated (or lightly treated) lighter colored background. The creation of the black-figure technique has been attributed
to the influence of minor arts from the Near East, most likely ivories and metalwork. Regional versions of the black-figure
technique were also used in Laconia, Boeotia, East Greece, northern Greece, West Greece, and Etruria.
Lydos is an Athenian black-figure painter active ca. 560-540 BCE. The name derives from vases signed as “ho Lydos” (“the Lydian”),
such as a dinos from the Athenian Acropolis (Athens, National Museum Acr. 607; BAPD 310147) where he is signed as painter
("egrapsen"). Lydos painted a variety of large and small shapes, including the column krater, amphora, hydria, Siana cup,
cups of other types, and plates. Scenes include Herakles, Dionysos, Theseus, draped men, and the Trojan War. The vases have
been found primarily in Athens (Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos), southern Italy, Etruscan sites, and Sicily.
The Pistias Class denotes a group of Athenian black-figure painters active late 6th to early 5th c. BCE, sometimes using white-ground.
Several examples have been attributed to the Haimon Painter. Shapes include the footless skyphos (also termed a footed mastos),
other versions of the skyphos, cups, and the lekythos. Scenes are revelers (“komasts”), Dionysos and followers, youths, horsemen,
and Herakles. Findspots are Athens (Agora, Kerameikos), Rhitsona, Vrastina Kalyvia (Chalkidike), and Etruscan sites (Bologna,
Chiusi, Adria).
The Theseus Painter is an Athenian black-figure painter active late 6th and early 5th c. BCE who sometimes uses white-ground
and Six’s technique. The name derives from the painter’s fondness for the hero Theseus. Primarily a painter of the skyphos
and lekythos, other shapes are the oinochoe, loutrophoros, alabastron, and pelike. Scenes include Dionysos, Herakles, warriors,
revelers ("komasts"), youths, athletes, and prothesis (laying out the body of the deceased). Findspots are Athens (Acropolis,
Agora), Thasos, Taranto, Rhodes, Delos, and Corinth.
