Greek Attic Vases

An attic outline white ground lekythos attributed to the dessypri painter circa 430 bc.

Greek attic vases.

Head of a female ca. Attic trefoil cook class oinochoe. The small neck implies they were used for pouring liquids in a small quantity e g. Askoi named after the wineskin which it resembles in shape.

The black figured attic meaning from athens region vessel was created around 540 bce by a well documented vase painter known as the affecter painter. Many early greek vases were made to order to mark the death of a nobleman for example. Attic red figure lekythos mid 5th century bc 7 500. Painted vases were often made in specific shapes for specific daily uses storing and transporting wine and foodstuffs amphorai drawing water hydriai drinking wine or water kantharoi or kylikes and so on and for special often ritual occasions such as pouring libations lekythoi or carrying water for the bridal bath loutrophoroi.

Ancient greek pottery due to its relative durability comprises a large part of the archaeological record of ancient greece and since there is so much of it over 100 000 painted vases are recorded in the corpus vasorum antiquorum it has exerted a disproportionately large influence on our understanding of greek society. Red figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural greek vase painting. Their pictorial decorations provide insights into many aspects of athenian life and complement the literary texts and inscriptions from the archaic. Scientists study ancient greek pottery to improve spacecraft tiles.

Attic small red figure lekythos ca. Attic red figure lekythos in the manner of the carlsruhe painter ca. Attic small red figure lekythos mid 5th century bc 4 500. Vases such as the white ground lekythos below would be buried with the deceased or perhaps used as a grave marker.

Astragaloi a vessel shaped like a knucklebone from which it takes its name and which may have been used to store sheep knucklebones which were used as gaming pieces or dice. Treatment of the vase in the 1980s provided the conservation field with significant insight into the history of the restoration of greek vases. Scientists from stanford s national accelerator laboratory have found that attic pottery remains chemically stable at very high temperatures. Its modern name is based on the figural depictions in red colour on a black background in contrast to the preceding.

It developed in athens around 520 bc and remained in use until the late 3rd century bc. We produce 4 types of vases geometrical corinthian black figure vases red figure vases white ground vases we try as much as possible to stick to the materials and methods used by ancient greeks. The shards of pots discarded or buried in the 1st millennium bc are still the best guide available to understand the customary life and mind of the ancient greeks. 10 in 26 9 cm high.