The Three-Line Group is a workshop of Athenian black-figure painters active ca. 530-510 BCE. The name derives from the three
lines featured between each decorative zone on the body of the vessel. The main shape is the small neck amphora. Scenes include
gods and goddesses, Herakles, Amazons, and the Trojan War. Findspots are Etruscan sites, Samos, and Olbia.
Added red refers to an additional red-colored pigment, typically made of red ochre, that is painted onto a Greek vase before
firing. Various tints can result, including brown and purple. Added red is used for details such as blood, clothing, hair
fillets, and decorative borders. It is also used for lettering on red-figure vases.
The Epidromos Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name derives from the inscription
“Epidromos kalos” (“Epidromos is beautiful”) on several cups. Subjects include the symposion, sacrifice, Dionysos and followers,
athletes, warriors, and Herakles. Findspots are sites in Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci, Chiusi) and Spina.
Semi-outline is a decorative style that combines both outline and silhouette techniques (see Outline; see Silhouette). It
can be applied to a single figure, or in varying degrees to different figures and details in the same scene. Semi-outline
appears on Athenian black-figure vases (see Black-figure), such as on eye cups and Little Master cups, and on the Athenian
white-ground (see White-ground) lekythos.
The Thaliarchos Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active in the late 6th c. BCE. The name derives from the inscription
“Thaliarchos kalos” (“Thaliarchos is beautiful”) on a pyxis lid from Athens (Paris, Petit Palais 382; BAPD 200657) showing
a helmet-maker. The pyxis lid is the preferred shape. Other subjects include satyrs, Athena’s head, and a dwarf. Findspots
are Athens (Acropolis, unspecified sites), Megara, and Monte Lato (Sicily).
Silhouette is used to describe figures or objects painted in solid black against a lighter colored background. In the black-figure
technique (see Black-figure), figures and objects are painted in silhouette before employing incision for details (see Incised).
Examples are also found in Geometric (see Geometric), Orientalizing (see Orientalizing), and red-figure vase-painting (see
Red-figure), as well as on Boeotian “geometricizing” vases.
The Pioneer Group (or “Pioneers”) is a group of Athenian red-figure painters active ca. 520-500 BCE. The name is associated
with artists whose work is related stylistically and who refer to each other by name using inscriptions. Painters identified
with the group include Euphronios, Euthymides, Smikros, Phintias, and the Dikaios Painter. Shapes are often large vessels,
like the krater, amphora (Type A), hydria, and psykter. Scenes include both myths and daily life: Herakles, the Trojan War,
athletes, and the symposion. Some findspots are Vulci, Athens (Agora, Acropolis), Xanthos (Turkey), Gela, and Cyrene.
The Class of the Top-Band Stemless denotes a group of Athenian black-figure painters active in the late 6th to early 5th c.
BCE who decorate the shallow stemless cup. The name derives from the broad black band above the handle zone. Some are eye
cups with a gorgoneion in the interior. Subjects include warriors, Dionysos and followers, Theseus and the Minotaur, and animals.
Findspots are Vulci and other Etruscan sites, Aegina, Lesbos, and Cyrene.
Polychrome refers to vases that feature multiple colors in addition to the usual red and black derived from firing Athenian
clay and slip (see Added Color). Examples of polychrome are relatively rare in Athenian vase-painting, but are found more
regularly on Corinthian and South Italian wares. Several polychrome vessels in the form of the oinochoe are from the Athenian
Agora.
The Euaichme Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-460 BCE. The name derives from a cup from Vico Equense
(Naples) (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts 01.8097; BAPD 209665) showing Nestor and Euaichme. The main shapes are cups and the
skyphos. Subjects include men, women, youths and boys, athletes, the symposion, and the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis. Findspots
are Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri, Chiusi), Bologna, sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Ampurias (Spain), and Kerch.
Apollodoros is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active in the late 6th c. BCE. The name derives from the painter (“egrapsen”)
who signs as Apollodoros on a fragmentary cup (Rome, Villa Giulia, ex Castle Ashby; BAPD 201006) showing warriors. Other scenes
include Dionysos and followers, the symposion, revelers (“komasts”), religion, and Theseus and the Minotaur. Some findspots
are sites in Etruria (Cerveteri, Orvieto, Gravisca, Tarquinia, Vulci) and the Athenian Acropolis.
The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology contains one of the most important collections of Greek antiquities in the United Kingdom.
The Museum forms part of the Department of Classics at the University of Reading and is situated on the university's Whiteknights
Campus, about two miles from the centre of the English town of Reading, Berkshire.
Euphronios is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 520-505 BCE, who signed as both painter (“egrapsen”) and potter (“epoiesen”).
Euphronios is considered a member of the Pioneer Group, along with Euthymides, Phintias, and other vase-painters. Shapes connected
to the painter are cups, the calyx krater, stamnos, psykter, and pelike. The cup is the main shape connected to the potter.
Scenes include Herakles and Antaios, athletes, the symposion, and Amazons. One of the best known works is a krater formerly
in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1972.11.10; BAPD 187) showing the personifications of Sleep (“Hypnos”) and Death (“Thanatos”)
carrying Sarpedon from the battlefield at Troy. Some findspots are sites in Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri, Orvieto, Tarquinia),
Athens (Agora, Acropolis), Thasos, and Olbia (Black Sea).
The Hischylos Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 525-500 BCE. The name derives from the potter ("epoiesen")
who signs as Hischylos on several examples. Other than the cup, shapes include the column krater and bell krater. Subjects
are warriors and athletes. Findspots are Vulci, Taranto, and the Athenian Acropolis.
Smikros is an Athenian red-figure painter and part of the Pioneer Group active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name is inscribed as painter
(“egrapsen”) on several vases. Shapes include the stamnos, pelike, and psykter. Subjects are the symposion, musicians, Dionysos
and satyrs, and the Abduction of Thetis by Peleus. Findspots include Etruria (Todi, Cerveteri, Elea) and Athens (Kerameikos).
Term used to describe ancient Mediterranean vessels in the form of heads or animals or groups that were partially formed in
molds like terracotta statuettes.
The Painter of the Paris Gigantomachy is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-460 BCE. The name derives from a cup
found at Vulci (Paris, Cabinet de Médailles 573; BAPD 204546) showing the Gigantomachy on the interior and exterior. Shapes
are primarily the cup, but also the lekythos, oinochoe, and neck amphora. Subjects include athletes, revelers (“komasts”),
centaurs, satyrs, the symposion, and religion. Some findspots include Adria, Etruria (Vulci, Orvieto, Tarquinia, Cerveteri,
Chiusi), Nola, Gela, the Athenian Agora, Tanagra, and Ampurias (Spain).
The Carpenter Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 515-500 BCE. The name derives from a cup found in Chuisi
(London, British Museum E23; BAPD 201642) showing a carpenter on its interior. Though primarily a cup painter, a hydria has
been attributed to the same painter. Subjects include revelers (“komasts”), the symposion, youths, Herakles, satyrs, and hunting.
Findspots are sites in Etruria (Orvieto, Vulci), and a cup “near” the painter stylistically was found in Corinth.
The Nikon Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-450 BCE. The name derives from the inscription “Nikon kalos”
or “kalos Nikon” (“Nikon is beautiful”) on several examples. Also attributed to the painter is a white-ground lekythos from
Eretria (Brussels, Musées Royaux A1019; BAPD 207607) showing a mistress and maid.
The Winchester Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 520-500 BCE. The name derives from an eye-cup (Winchester,
UK, Winchester College 42; BAPD 200403) showing jumpers on the exterior and a satyr on the interior. Satyrs and athletes appear
on other cups. Findspots are Greece and Vulci.
The Oionokles Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-470 BCE. The name derives from the inscription “Oionokles
kalos” (“Oionokles is beautiful”) on several examples. Shapes are the neck amphora, lekythos, loutrophoros, and column krater.
Subjects include Dionysos and followers, revelers (“komasts”), warriors, Eos and Tithonos, the Death of Orpheus, Theseus,
and musicians. Findspots are Vulci, sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Rheneia (Delos), Anavysos (Attica), and Athens.
The CHC Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active late 6th to early 5th c. BCE. The name derives from the
prevalence of chariot (CH) and courting (C) scenes. Associated with the group are the Heron Class, Dog Group, and the Group
of Thebes R102. The primary shape is the skyphos. In addition to chariot and courting scenes, there are scenes of women dancing,
myths, and sphinxes. Findspots include Athens (Agora, Acropolis), Rhitsona, Olbia, Miletus, Oria (Italy), and Corinth.
The Pig Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-450 BCE and a member of the Mannerist Group. The name derives
from a pelike (Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum 9.17; BAPD 206456) showing men and pigs. Other shapes are the column-krater,
hydria, and neck amphora. Subjects include Dionysos and followers, the symposion, revelers (“komasts”), athletes, and Theseus.
Some findspots are the Athenian Agora, Corinth, Olympia, Camiros (Rhodes), sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Naukratis,
and Kerch.
The Colmar Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 505-480 BCE. The name derives from a cup (Colmar, Musée
d’Unterlinden 48; BAPD 203691) showing athletes. The painter also decorated a rhyton in the shape of a donkey’s head. Subjects
include athletes, warriors, Herakles, Theseus, the symposion, satyrs, and male revelers (“komasts”). Findspots are Athens
(Acropolis, Agora), sites in Etruria (Vulci, Orvieto, Tarquinia, Chuisi), and Ampurias (Spain).
Added white refers to an additional white-colored pigment that is painted onto a Greek vase, usually before firing. Most notably,
added white is used for the skin coloring of women in the black-figure technique, or as “second white” on white-ground vases.
The white pigment comes from natural materials, such as calcareous clay, lead, or perhaps bone.
The Pan Painter is an Athenian red-figure vase-painter active ca. 490/80-450 BCE and a member of the Mannerist Group. The
name derives from a bell krater discovered in Cumae (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts 10.185; BAPD 206276 ) showing Pan and a shepherd
on one side and the Death of Aktaion on the other. Other shapes are kraters of different types, the amphora in different forms,
the pelike, stamnos, lebes gamikos, loutrophoros, hydria, lekythos, alabastron, skyphos, and cups. Scenes include Nike, Dionysos
and followers, gods and goddesses, Herakles and Busiris, Eos and Kephalos, Achilles, warriors, revelers (“komasts”), hunting,
fishing, and funerary scenes. Some findspots are Athens (Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos), Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci), and sites
in southern Italy and Sicily.
A class denotes vases of the same shape with enough similarities or details in common to suggest they belong together, such
as the Segment Class or the Class of the Top-Band Stemless. A single class can include vases by different painters.
The Haimon Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active in the early decades of the 5th c. BCE. The name derives
from the association with the Haimon Painter. Associated with the large output of the group are the Haimon Painter, Pholos
Painter, Ure’s Class of Skyphoi K 2, Lancut Group, and the Painter of the Half-Palmettes. The main shapes are the lekythos,
skyphos, mastos, and oinochoe. Findspots are Athens (Kerameikos, Agora, Acropolis), Olympia, Tanagra, sites in Italy, Olbia
and Berezan, Miletus, and Naukratis.
The Phanyllis Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active at the end of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives from
an inscribed lekythos dedicated on Delos to Hera “from Phanyllis” (Delos, Archaeological Museum 548; BAPD 30103) showing Dionysos.
Associated with the group are the Group of the Arming Lekythoi and the Group of Hoplite-Leaving-Home. Primarily painters of
the lekythos, other shapes connected to the group are the hydria and cups. Scenes are warriors, youths, athletes, Theseus,
Herakles, and Dionysos. Findspots are Sicily, sites in Greece (Athens, Corinth, Perachora, Thasos, Rhodes), Adria (Adriatic
coast of Italy), Olbia (Black Sea), and Pitane (modern Turkey).
Black glaze, also called “black gloss,” “black-painted,” or “black,” denotes the black slip that is applied to the entire
surface of a Greek vase. Black glaze consists of a diluted form of the natural clay that is transformed through a chemical
reaction during the firing process (see Black-figure). Surface decoration could include added color, gilding, relief, incision
or stamped motifs. It has been suggested that the technique was meant to evoke metal vessels. Athens was the main producer
of black glaze vases until c. 400 BCE. Other regions included South Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean, where they were made
until the 1st c. BCE.
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin argentum, derived from the Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ: "shiny"
or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity,
thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.
Black polychrome is a light-on-dark technique where vessels are painted with a black glaze (see Black Glaze) and details are
added in other colors, such as red and white. Ornaments or patterns can also be incised. In Athens the technique appears on
the phiale in the late 6th c. BCE, and can include floral motifs, animals, or human figures. Those with floral ornamentation
probably imitated metal vessels. The technique is related to Six’s Technique (see Six’s Technique), which was also made in
Athens. It also resembles East Greek Vroulian ware in some examples. Findspots include the Athenian Acropolis and Eleusis.
The EM IIA and IIB Vasiliki Ware, named for the Minoan site in eastern Crete, has mottled glaze effects, early experiments
with controlling color, but the elongated spouts drawn from the body and ending in semicircular spouts show the beginnings
of the tradition of Minoan elegance.
The Copenhagen Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter connected to the Syriskos Group, active ca. 470’s BCE and earlier.
The name derives from an amphora (Type B) from Vulci (Copenhagen, National Museum 125 [320]; BAPD 202920) showing an African
youth with a basket. The Copenhagen Painter’s style is closely related to that of the Syriskos Painter and the two painters
are sometimes hard to distinguish. Shapes are the stamnos, pelike, hydria, and krater. Subjects include the Tyrannicides,
the Struggle for the Delphic Tripod, Herakles, Theseus and the Minotaur, Medea and Jason, and the symposion. Some findspots
are Vulci, Nola, Athens (Acropolis, Agora), and Eleusis.
The Cock Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active at the end of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives from the
cocks adorning the shoulder of the lekythos, the shape associated with the group. Scenes include myth, warriors, and Dionysos.
The primary findspots are Athens, Boeotia, Rhodes, Sicily, and Olbia.
The Group of Toronto 305 are a group of Athenian black-figure painters active in the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE. They
are considered followers of the Antimenes Painter. The name derives from an amphora (Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum 305; BAPD
320246) featuring Dionysos and Herakles. Decorating mainly the amphora, subjects include warriors, riders, Dionysian scenes,
Herakles, and Amazons. Findspots are sites in Etruria and Kerch.
The Perizoma Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active from the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE. The name derives
from the white loincloth (“perizoma”) worn by athletes and dancers. Shapes include the stamnos, small neck amphora, and one-handled
kantharos (an Etruscan shape). Scenes are athletes and the symposion. Findspots include mostly Etruscan sites, with stray
finds in Gela and Rhodes.
The Troilos Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-460 BCE who painted using black-figure. The name derives
from a hydria from Vulci (London, British Museum 99.7-21.4; BAPD 203082) showing Troilos and Polyxena. Shapes are the amphora,
stamnos, pelike, calyx krater, hydria, and lekythos. Subjects include the Struggle for the Delphic Tripod, gods and goddesses,
Herakles and Busiris, the Death of Orpheus, the Gigantomachy, and athletes. Some findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri),
Orvieto, Nola, and Duvanlij (Thrace).
The Tyrrhenian Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active ca. 570-550 BCE who decorate the ovoid neck amphora
with human figures and multiple animal friezes. The name derives from the large number of vessels discovered in Etruria (located
in Italy along the Tyrrhenian Sea). Painters of the group include the Castellani Painter, the Goltyr Painter, the Guglielmi
Painter, the Timiades Painter, and the Kyllenios Painter. Despite some controversy about their place of manufacture, petrographic
analysis indicates that the vases were produced in Athens. Many of the vases have “nonsense inscriptions” in Greek. The major
finds spots are sites in Etruria, while some have been discovered in Athens (Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos), Miletus, Ionia
(Turkey), Cyrene, and Naukratis.
The Harrow Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-460 BCE. The name derives from an oinochoe (Harrow, UK,
Harrow School Museum 56; BAPD 202673) showing a boy with a hoop. Other shapes include a wide range of pots: the neck amphora,
pelike, stamnos, column krater, and hydria. Subjects include generic scenes (youths, men, women), Dionysos and followers,
gods and goddesses, Theseus, Herakles, centaurs, the symposion, and Capture of Silenos. Some findspots are Athens (Acropolis,
Agora), Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri), Nola, Falerii, sites in Sicily, Gordion, Kerch, and Bourges (France).
The Nikosthenes Painter (also known as the Painter of Sleep and Death) is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 510-500
BCE. The name derives from the potter ("epoiesen") who signs as Nikosthenes on several examples (see Nikosthenes [Black-figure]).
Shapes are cups, the skyphos, kantharos, pyxis, and neck amphora. Subjects include athletes, satyrs and maenads, revelers
(“komasts”), warriors, Herakles, Hermes and cattle, and Odysseus under the ram. Some findspots are Etruria (Cerveteri, Vulci,
Gravisca, Orvieto, Tarquinia), Athens (Acropolis, Agora), Naukratis, Clazomenae, Marseille, and Leuke (Black Sea).
Hypsis is an Athenian red-figure painter and part of the Pioneer Group active ca. 510 BCE. The name is inscribed as painter
(“egrapsen”) on a hydria from Vulci (Munich, Antikensammlungen 2423; BAPD 200170) showing Amazons. The preferred shape is
the hydria. Another subject includes women at a fountain house. The vases have been found at Vulci.
The OLL Group (Oxford-Leipzig-Louvre) is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active ca. 565-550 BCE. The group consists
of painters of the ovoid neck amphora with mythological subjects and animal friezes. The vases are sometimes included in the
Tyrrhenian Group. The incorporation of a large figural frieze distinguishes them from the Tyrrhenian Group. Findspots include
Cerveteri, Rhodes, and the Athenian Acropolis.
The Triptolemos Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter (and perhaps potter) active ca. 480-470 BCE. The name derives from
a stamnos found at Vulci (Paris, Louvre G187; BAPD 203793) showing Triptolemos, Demeter, and Persephone on one side. Shapes
are kraters, the stamnos, amphora, oinochoe, pelike, hydria, alabastron, skyphos, and cup (kylix). Subjects include athletes,
warriors, revelers (“komasts”), the symposion, erotic scenes, religion, Dionysos and followers, musicians, Herakles, and Theseus.
Some findspots are Adria, Etruria (Cerveteri, Orvieto, Tarquinia, Vulci), sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Athens (Agora,
Acropolis), Rheneia (Delos), and Berezan.
The Leningrad Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-450 BCE and a member of the Mannerist Group. The name
derives from an amphora (Type B) discovered in south Russia (St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum B2228; BAPD 206561) showing
a musician (kitharode) with listeners. Shapes are kraters, the pelike, the amphora in different forms, and hydria. Scenes
include Dionysos and followers, worship of Dionysos, a satyr-play, the symposion, revelers (“komasts”), musicians, athletes,
warriors, Herakles, centaurs, and Helios. A rare scene of vases being decorated is shown on a hydria from Ruvo (Vicenza, Banca
Intesa 2; BAPD 206564). Some findspots are Bologna, Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri), sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Corinth,
the Athenian Agora, Rheneia (Delos), Camiros (Rhodes), Al Mina, Aspendos (Turkey), and Naukratis.
The Painter of Munich 2413 is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 460 BCE. The name derives from a stamnos found at
Vulci (Munich, Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2413; BAPD 205571) showing the Birth of Erichthonios. An oinochoe from the Athenian
Agora (P11810; BAPD 205573) shows actors dressing.
The Ambrosios Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name derives from the appellation
“Ambrosios'' inscribed on the interior of a cup (Orvieto, Museo Civico, Faina 62; BAPD 201580) showing warriors and athletes
on the exterior and a reveler (“komast”) on the interior. Subjects include Dionysos and followers, Nessos and Deianira, the
symposion, Herakles, athletes, fishing, and hunting. Findspots include sites in Etruria (Orvieto, Cerveteri, Vulci, Gravisca),
Athens (Acropolis, Agora), and Naukratis.
The Tampa Museum of Art is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, as well as Greek,
Roman, and Etruscan antiquities.
Stamped describes the technique of using a mold-made terracotta stamp for decoration. Designs are stamped or impressed (see
Impressed) into the soft clay surface of the vessel before it is painted. In Athens, stamped or impressed decoration first
appears around the middle of the 5th c. BCE, perhaps in the work of the Sotades Painter (see Sotades Painter). The ornament
generally consists of small and simple motifs, such as rosettes, concentric circles, palmettes, ovules, and tongues. Stamped
decoration usually appears on the interiors of drinking vessels, some of which have red-figure on their exteriors.
The Class of Athens 581 denotes a group of Athenian black-figure painters active in the early 5th c. BCE, who sometimes apply
black-figure to white-ground. The name derives from a lekythos (Athens, National Museum 581; BAPD 303599) showing a symposion
with Dionysos reclining. The main shape is the lekythos with palmettes, buds, or rays on the shoulder. Connected to the class
are the Marathon Painter, Campana Painter, Haimon Painter, the Kalinderu Group, Cock Group, and Group of Brussels A 1311.
Findspots include Athens, Perachora, Rhodes, southern Italy, Sicily, and Cyprus.
The Sosias Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter and part of the Pioneer Group active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name derives
from the potter ("epoiesen") who signs as Sosias on a cup from Vulci (Berlin, Antikensammlung F2278; BAPD 200108) showing
Achilles and Patroklos on the interior and the introduction of Herakles to Olympus on the exterior. Shapes are stands, plates,
and cups. Other scenes include a winged female and a satyr. Another findspot is the Athenian Acropolis.
The Leagros Group is a group of black-figure painters active ca. 520-500 BCE. The name derives from the inscription “Leagros
kalos” (“Leagros is beautiful”) on several vases. Painters identified with the group include the Acheloos Painter, Chiusi
Painter, and Daybreak Painter. Also associated are the Antiope Group, Group of Würzburg 210, and Group of Vatican 424. Several
hundred vessels are attributed to the group, including shapes like the neck amphora, hydria, lekythos, krater, and Panathenaic
amphora. Favorite scenes of the group are Herakles and the Trojan War, as well as Dionysian themes. Findspots are Vulci and
other Etruscan sites, southern Italy and Sicily, and the Athenian Agora.
The Dokimasia Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-460 BCE. The name derives from a cup found at Orvieto
(Berlin, Antikensammlung 2296; BAPD 204483) showing youths with horses in possible reference to their citizen status (“dokimasia”).
Shapes are mainly the cup, but also the krater, stamnos, and skyphos. Scenes include revelers (“komasts”), athletes, warriors,
Theseus, hunting, and Dionysos and followers. Some findspots are Adria, Etruria (Vulci, Orvieto, Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Chiusi),
Capua, the Athenian Acropolis, and Delos.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a 152-acre campus near downtown Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is the ninth oldest and eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States. The permanent
collection comprises over 54,000 works, including African, American, Asian, and European pieces.
The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some
8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating
and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον métallon, "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured,
shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well.
The Thalia Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 520-500 BCE that painted a bilingual cup (black-figure
interior, red-figure exterior). The name derives from the appellation “Thalia” inscribed on a cup from Vulci (Berlin, Antikensammlung
3251; Florence, Archaeological Museum, 1B49; BAPD 200964) showing an erotic scene. Other subjects include Dionysos and followers,
athletes, warriors, and revelers (“komasts”). Findspots are Chiusi and the Athenian Acropolis.
The Hermaios Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 520-510 BCE, formerly said to be related to the Severeano
Group. The name derives from the potter (“epoiesen”) who signs as Hermaios on several examples. Subjects appearing on the
cup interior include Dionysos, revelers (“komasts”), the symposion, athletes, warriors, riders, and Amazons. Findspots are
Athens (Agora, unspecified sites), Marion (Cyprus), Etruria (Vulci, Chiusi, Cerveteri), and Naukratis.
The Class of the Vatican G47 denotes a group of Athenian black-figure painters active late 6th to early 5th c. BCE who decorate
oinochoe. The name derives from an oinochoe found at Vulci (Rome, Vatican G47; BAPD 303297) showing a maenad riding a bull.
Attributed to the class are the Painter of Oxford 226 and Painter of Oxford 225. Scenes include chariots, Dionysos and followers,
warriors, Achilles and Ajax, and Herakles. Findspots are Vulci, Knossos, Amathus (Cyprus), and Corinth.
Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and
the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use is in a wider sense that includes varieties
of two different minerals: the fine-grained massive type of gypsum and the fine-grained banded type of calcite.
The Kiss Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name derives from scenes of a youth and
girl embracing. Other subjects are athletes and revelers (“komasts”). Findspots are sites in Etruria (Chiusi, Arezzo).
The Brygos Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 490-470 BCE who painted in white-ground. The name derives
from the potter ("epoiesen") who signs as Brygos and collaborated with the Brygos Painter and other painters. Shapes are the
cup (kylix), skyphos, lekythos, kyathos, kantharos in the shape of female heads, rhyton in the shape of animal heads, and
kalathos. Subjects include revelers (“komasts”), the symposion, Dionysos and followers, warriors, athletes, Herakles, Zeus
and Ganymede, and the Trojan War. Some findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Orvieto, Chiusi, Tarquinia, Cerveteri), sites in southern
Italy and Sicily, Athens (Acropolis, Agora), sites in Attica (Brauron, Eleusis, Menidi), Thebes, Marseilles, and Olbia.
The Agrigento Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 470-440 BCE and a member of the Mannerist Group. The name
derives from a calyx krater from Agrigento (Agrigento, Archaeological Museum; BAPD 206657) showing Herakles and Nessos. Other
shapes are the column-krater, bell krater, stamnos, pelike, dinos, amphora, and hydria. Scenes include Herakles, Theseus,
Dionysos and followers, Amazons, the symposion, revelers (“komasts”), musicians, warriors, and generic males (youths, boys,
men). Some findspots are Bologna, Spina, Tarquinia, sites in southern Italy and Sicily, the Athenian Agora, Corinth, Rheneia
(Delos), Ampurias (Spain), and Naukratis.
Corinth was a city-state (polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland
of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta.
Orientalizing denotes Greek vases and other arts produced ca. 700-600 BCE. It thus falls between the Geometric (ca. 900-700
BCE) and Archaic (ca. 600-480 BCE) stylistic periods. It is divided into phases, according to region and stylistic development.
The term derives from discernible changes in the techniques and appearance of pottery, sculpture, and architecture based on
Greek contact with the Near East and Egypt. Chief stylistic trends in vase-painting include the use of animal friezes, hybrid
creatures, and rosettes. The term Orientalizing is applied to Athens (where it is also called Protoattic) and other regions,
such as Corinth (where it is also called Protocorinthian), East Greece, Crete, and the Cycladic islands. The main vase-painting
techniques in Athens and Attica are silhouette, outline, some incision, and the Black and White Style, and major painters
include the Analatos Painter, Nettos (Nessos) Painter, and Ram Jug Painter.
Group E is a large group of Athenian black-figure painters active ca. 560-540 BCE. The name derives from a close association
to Exekias, who signs a Group E vase as potter ("epoiesen"). Group E painted the pelike, different amphora types, the lekythos,
and kraters. Subjects include the Birth of Athena, Herakles, Amazons, Theseus and the Minotaur, as well as athletes, the symposion,
and funerary scenes. Findspots are Athens (Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos), Chalkidike, Vulci, Spina, North Africa, and Russia.
The Krokotos Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active at the end of the 6th c. BCE. It includes the Group
of Walters 48.42, Durand Painter, and Painter of Munich 2100. The name derives from the added saffron-yellow applied to garments
and animals. Shapes include the skyphos, and the imagery pertains to Dionysos. Findspots are Etruria, the Athenian Acropolis,
Corinth, Thebes, and Sicily.
Douris is an Athenian red-figure painter and potter active ca. 500-460 BCE. The name derives from the signature of Douris
as painter (“egrapsen”) on many vases. Shapes are primarily the cup, but also the lekythos, pyxis, neck amphora, psykter,
and rhyton in the shape of an animal. Scenes include the symposion, revelers (“komasts”), musicians, warriors, athletes, Dionysos
and followers, Herakles, Theseus, Zeus and Ganymede, and the Trojan War. Some findspots are Etruria (Vulci, Orvieto, Chiusi,
Cerveteri, Tarquinia), Adria, sites in southern Italy and Sicily, Athens (Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos), Ampurias (Spain),
and Naukratis.
The FP Class is a group of Athenian black-figure cups dated to the late 6th c. BCE and characterized by large palmettes next
to the handles. The acronym “FP” stands for “flower palmette.” Scenes include courtship, Theseus and the Minotaur, riders,
and dancers. Findspots are in Greece, Sicily, Italy, and Naukratis.
Plastic vases (from the German Plastik, meaning sculpture) are mold-made figural vessels taking human, animal, or hybrid forms.
While the sculptural elements of a plastic vase are often made in two-part molds, parts can also be modeled by hand or wheel-thrown.
This type of vase reached its peak popularity in Athens during the 5th c. BCE. Plastic vases were also produced in Corinth
and Boeotia.
Classical denotes Greek vases and other arts produced from ca. 480-323 BCE. It thus falls between the Archaic (ca. 600-480
BCE) and Hellenistic (323-31 BCE) stylistic periods. These dates are based on two historical events: the Persian invasion
of Athens in 480 BCE and the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. Classical is often divided into the three phases of
Early, High, and Late, based on stylistic development. The main vase-painting techniques in Athens are red-figure and white-ground,
with black-figure still in use for the Panathenaic amphora. Major Athenian vase-painters from this time include the Pan Painter,
Niobid Painter, Achilles Painter, Polygnotos, and Eretria Painter.
The Eye-Siren Group is a group of Athenian black-figure painters active ca. 520-500 BCE. They are considered followers of
the Antimenes Painter. The name derives from a neck amphora (London, British Museum B215; BAPD 320288) displaying sirens with
large eyes on their bodies and showing Peleus and Thetis on one side with Apollo on the other. Though mainly decorating the
amphora, including some Panathenaics, other shapes are the hydria and a cup. Subjects include warriors, Herakles, Amazons,
and Dionysian scenes. Examples have been discovered in Etruria.
The Wild Goat Style is a modern term describing vase painting produced in the east of Greece, namely the southern and eastern
Ionian islands, between circa 650 to 550 BCE.
Six’s technique describes figures painted in white, red, or pink silhouette on a black surface with their details incised
(see Incised). Although giving the appearance of red-figure (see Red-figure), it is considered an example of polychrome painting
(see Polychrome; see Black Polychrome; see Added Color). The technique is first used for full figures ca. 530 BCE and continues
through the early 5th c. BCE. Mainly appearing on small vessels, such as the lekythos, its invention is attributed to the
potter Nikosthenes (see Nikosthenes). Versions have been identified on vases from Corinth, Boeotia, and East Greece. The name
derives from the Dutch scholar Jan Six who first described it in the late 19th century.
Reserving is the practice of deliberately leaving a figure or detail unpainted. The reserved surface is the color of the fired
clay, such as the orange-red of Athenian black-figure (see Black-figure) and red-figure (see Red-figure) vases. The technique
is used on some Orientalizing vessels (see Orientalizing) as well as in East Greek and Boeotian black-figure.
The Group of Walters 48.42 is a group of Athenian black-figure cups produced ca. 530-520 BCE. Considered to be part of the
Krokotos Workshop, the name derives from a cup (Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery 48.42; BAPD 302634) showing Dionysos’ head
between eyes on the exterior. The group is characterized by Type A cups that feature eyes on the exterior, some with figures
(satyrs, maenads, Herakles, Nereus), and a gorgoneion in the interior. Findspots include Vulci, Roselle, Falerii, and Athens.
The Phiale Painter was a painter of the Attic red-figure style. He was active around 460 to 430 BC. The Phiale Painter is
assumed to have been a pupil of the Achilles Painter.
The Hegesiboulos Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 510-500 BCE. The name derives from the potter (“epoisen”)
who signs as Hegesiboulos on a cup (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art 07.286.47; BAPD 201603) showing a man and his dog
(surrounded by coral-red) on the interior and a symposion and komos on the exterior. A fragment of an unidentified shape from
the Athenian Acropolis (Athens, National Museum 2.538; BAPD 201604) showing a symposion has been connected to the painter.
The Goluchow Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active in the late 6th c. BCE. The name derives from an olpe from Cerveteri
(Warsaw, National Museum 142463, ex Goluchow; BAPD 200045) showing a discus thrower. The other shape is the oinochoe, and
scenes are of athletes, a satyr, and musicians. Other findspots are Vulci and Athens.
The Geras Painter is an Athenian red-figure painter active ca. 480-470 BCE. The name derives from a pelike (Paris, Louvre
G234; BAPD 202622) showing Herakles and Geras (“old age”). Other shapes are the neck amphora, kraters, hydria, and stamnos.
Subjects include Dionysos and followers, Ganymede, Theseus, Europa, Aktaion, Triptolemos and Demeter, and Herakles. Findspots
are Vulci, Nola, sites in Sicily, and Locris (Greece).
The Segment Class is the name assigned to a class of Athenian black-figure cups that have figure decoration covering their
whole interior, while their exteriors are black. They date to the last quarter of the 6th c. BCE, and their subjects are mostly
Dionysian. Findspots include Athens (Acropolis, Agora), Argos, Italy, Sicily, and the Black Sea.
The Euergides Painter is an Athenian red-figure cup painter active ca. 515-500 BCE. The name derives from the potter ("epoiesen")
who signs as Euergides on several examples. Shapes are cups and the alabastron. Subjects include warriors, women, athletes,
satyrs and maenads, hunting, Theseus and the Minotaur, Achilles and Ajax, and revelers (“komasts”). The painter also places
sphinxes, griffins, and winged horses near the cup handles. A notable example is the cup dedicated on the Athenian Acropolis
(Athens, National Museum Akr. 2.166; BAPD 200761) showing Athena watching metalworkers. Other findspots are the Athenian Agora,
Thasos, Eretria, Etruria (Vulci, Cerveteri, Gravisca), Kerch, and Naukratis.
