Pottery Flashcards
Value as evidence, subjects of painting, women, and South Italian distinctiveness.
Emergence of Red Figure
c.530
what were the limits of BF that likely led to the dev of RF?
lack of detail and resolution
What was the pseudo RF style that provided a transition technique? When did it emerge?
black background with white/pink figures
c530
What style emerged around same time as RF? What shape also emerged with this style?
White ground
cylinder lekythoi
What is used as an external dated monument for the emergence of RF? Why?
Siphnian Treasury which was built 530-25
configuration of Herakles and Apollo on the sculpt decor similar to that on pottery
What were ‘bilingual’ vases?
Pots with both RF and BF paintings on
Who are known as ‘pioneer’ vase painters? Why?
Phintias and Euphronios
Started to introduce new elements to techniques of painting and and became more ambitious with compositions eg. larger
What new techniques in the process of vase painting emerged at the time of the RF Pioneers?
1/8th lines outlines before adding glaze
Diluting glaze so lighter anatomical features could be added
What social status do 5th cent Athenian potters seemed to have had? Evidence?
wealthy artisans but not aristocratic
Aristocratic scenes suggest the customers of the potters were aristocratic and likely wealthy BUT misspellings of names suggests an illiteracy of artists
What detail was added by potters to clarify sometimes complex and crowded mythological scenes?
names
What shapes emerged at the end of the 6th century?
pelike
stamnos
Who was Beazley’s ‘painter of power’? Why did he get this name?
Kleophrades Painter
Painted large vases and significant mythological scenes
What was Beazley’s ‘painter of grace’? Why does he get this name?
Berlin Painter
highly technical early classical execution of RF before many of his contemporaries
How did Beazley attribute works to specific painters and periods?
little details in a painting rather than whole compositions
What are the merits of Beazley’s studies? What are the problems?
Can build up economic and trade patterns, helped categorise and compartmentalise the corpus of G pottery, and added nuance of changes in techniques could be due to indiv potter agency rather than chronology.
Focus on painters themselves is closed minded, identifications not always applicable, and two surviving vases are required with enough evidence to ID an indiv painter
What evidence do we have of painters being non-citizens?
Slaves: Inscrip reading ‘Lydos has painted it, a slave from Myrina’
Foreigners: Thrax and Skythes suggest a foreign background (e.g. former related to Thrace)
How could potters distinguish themselves as Ath citizens on their pots? Example?
use patronymic name formula in inscriptions
‘Tleson, son of Nearchos’
What evidence is there of the pot making process?
very little literature
Material:
Penteskoufia plaque from Corinth 625-600 BCE that shows a potter at a table creating aryballos
Munich Hydria, 520-510 BCE, showing 8 workers in a pottery workshop in various stages of the process e.g. kiln, shaping on table, cleaning/polishing
Who was the potter who lead the mannerist workshop? What style of RF illustration did they do?
Myson
late archaic
What was the means of IDing mannerists as laid out by Beazley? Painters associated w the workshop? (4)
late archaic features, e.g. drapery, but in a softer style
Myson (founder) Pan Painter, Pig Painter, and Leningrad Painter
What appears to have been a slight division in the world of Ath pottery in late archaic phase?
vase vs cup painters
What were common scenes on late archaic style cups?
symposion related - lovers, drinking, reclining men, music
What was unique about the Foundry Painter’s works as noted by Beazley?
Illustrated ‘realist’ scenes like non-idealised bodies within a palaestra and the foundry scene with processes of statue making
What type of vases appear to have been associated w women?
(white ground) lekythoi
small hydria (often show women
pyxis
lebes gamikos
loutrophoroi
alabastron
What hero appears more frequently as 5th century develops? Why? What are the name of cups depicting his deeds?
Theseus
Seen as hero of democracy
‘cycle cups’
What painter signed off with a female Ath name? How does this relate to their painting?
Douris (Doris was insciption and the female version of name)
Women in domestic space
What are the two main functions believed to be assoc with white ground lekythoi?
funerary dedications
holding perfume for women
What could large vases with mythological scenes be used for iconographically as well as entertainment?
education about myths and ‘the past’
What are two major tombs that yielded impressive pottery finds? Their details?
Brygos Tomb, 500-450 BCE - late archaic paintings on skyphoi and cups incl some with tomb imagery link sphinx (guardian of tombs). The pottery is of earlier styles and dates also indicating they could have been heirlooms or belongings of the late indiv.
Sotades Tomb, c.450-400 BCE - incl white ground cups, beehive beakers, and red AND white ground cup. Funerary function suggested by impracticle handles and wg being unsuitable w liquids.
How does Mannack describe the late mannerist potters? Who are the painters associated with this style?
lousy painters, good storytellers
Nausikaa P, Orestes P, Hephaiston P, and Achilles P
What kind of pots were found in high numbers at Tomb of Marathon (on site of the 490 battle)?
white ground pottery
What is unique about lekythoi found in Royal Maced tombs?
decorated in polychromic scenes
By end of 5th cent, what function do wg lekythoi appear to have had within the funerary setting? Evidence?
grave markers
tomb wall paintings
What burial rite is not shown as happening to mortals on pottery, despite prevalence in practice?
cremation, only Herakles shown from evidence we have
What painter had a very large workshop in mid to late 5th cent? Evidence?
Polygnotos
Many pots found with his name on, but details appear to differ suggesting these painters were working under his name.
What religious practice becomes more popular as a subject on vases in second half of 5th cent?
sacrificial scenes
What is the name of the vase worn on women’s thigh when they weave? Unique details of this pot?
Epinetron
Bust at knee end, relation of scenes to the function (esp related to women), white pigment sometimes used sugg funerary purpose
Details of the Pronomos Vase?
volute krater
c400 BCE
attrib to ‘pronomos painter’ (eponymous vase)
very large
may have been a commission by a playwrite
Appears to have been sold to Italian market.
Side A: Ariadne and Dionysos recline on kline; surrounded by chorus, some masked, some not; Pronomos named, on lower register; Demetrios, playwrite, seated and holding book roll; tripods suggest play had been performed and was liked.
Side B: Dionysos holding lyre and Ariadne holding a blazing torch go through rocky terrain; surrounded by satyrs; eros apparent holding cymbals.
What market was particularly keen on Athenian subjects and shapes?
Italians
What changes occured in the 4th century pottery? (2)
shapes became elongated
relief technique used more often
What shape often showed nuptial scenes? Evidence?
lebes gamikos
subjects of the paintings on the pots themselves
appearance of the pots in nuptial scenes on pottery
contexts of excavations
When did RF emerge in South Italy?
late 5th cent
When did many athenian potters and painters emigrate to S Italy? For what possible reasons?
440 onwards
Economic - market was v keen on their works
What was a particular differing feature of Ath vases found in S Italy? Signif?
not painted on inside
likely for funerary purposes rather than frequent use
What about S Italian paintings on vases is worse/unusual than those usually found in Athens? (2)
compositions usually messy (although details and artistic execution equally as good)
configurations of well known characters not usual e.g. cyclops w two closed eyes
What is evidence of Apulian interest in Athenian pottery?
many Ath pots found in graves there
Other than pottery, what else suggest cultural links betw Apulia and Greek mainland?
Apulian athletes competed at Panathenaic
What localised adaption appears on Ath pottery in Apulia?
clothing e.g. legging like trousers
What was a common feature of loutrophoi and volute kraters used in funerary context?
no bottoms in
Why did Panathenaic amphora seem to have a strong status?
association with Athens (unique shape to the city and contextualised purpose)
aristocratic associations with athletic competitions etc
What was the ‘new style’ composition of gigantomachies? When did it emerge?
Gods fighting from above and giants below
late 5th cent
What were 2 unique features of campanian vases?
polychromy
slightly unusual subjects e.g. dionysos getting his mother from hades
What are two unique S Italian shapes?
nestoris, used for pouring
situla, essentially a bucket likely for storage or transporting goods
ID of Late Archaic style?
regular folds with zigzag hem ca. 500-470 BC; eyes frontal on a profile head, relief lines heavy
ID of Early Classical?
Eyes profile, different registers c. 470-450
ID of Mannerists?
not partic dynamic; specifically used archaizing details whilst working in EC
ID of Late Classical?
¾ faces, distinctive curly hair (lots of tendrils via relief line), eyes more sketch like, very small pouty mouths; drapery - huge number of folds, used to create modelling lines to suggest the modelling of the figures - whole effect lush, luxurious, soft
What 2 themes only appear on pots during and after EC period?
anti-persian
tyrannicides
What temple sculpture can be compared to EARLY classical vase painting?
T of Zeus, Olympia
What temple sculpture can be compared to LATE classical vase painting?
Parthenon
What shapes emerged contemporary to RF?
psykter
neck-amphora with twisted handles
What was distinctive abt the pioneers style?
new interest in the body’s surface anatomy and the potential for rendering movement in space
What was distinctive about ‘academic style’? Which painter is attrib as sort of founder?
impression of motionless figures but in more relaxed poses than pioneer style
What was distinctive about the Kerch style?
final phase of Attic RF; slender, exaggerated gestured figures, and polychromatism (white, gilding)
Many found at Kerch on Black Sea coast
