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Scenes of Everyday Life in Ancient Greece

• 
  Mirror with a support in the form of a nude girl, second half of 6th century B.C.
  Laconian; Said to be from southern Italy
  Bronze; H. 13 1/16 in. (33.81 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1938 (38.11.3)
  
• 
  Lekythos, ca. 550 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Amasis Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 6 7/8 in. (17.50 cm)
  Purchase, Walter C. Baker Gift, 1956 (56.11.1)
  
• 
  Lekythos, ca. 550–530 B.C.; Archaic, black-figure
  Attributed to the Amasis Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 6 3/4 in. (17.15 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.11.10)
  
• 
  Kylix, ca. 500 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to Douris
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel, 1986 (1986.322.1)
  
  Interior: woman at laver
  Exterior: athletes
  
• 
  Amphora, ca. 530 B.C.; Archaic; black-figure
  Attributed to the manner of the Lysippides Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 16 3/8 in. (41.5 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1956 (56.171.14)
  
• 
  Kylix, ca. 460 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Painter of Munich 2660
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.230.10)
  
  Interior and exterior: schoolboys
  
• 
  Lebes gamikos (wedding vase), ca. 430–420 B.C.; Classical
  Attributed to the Washing Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.35a,b)
  
• 
  Funerary plaque, ca. 520–510 B.C.; Archaic, black-figure
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 10 1/4 in. (26.04 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1954 (54.11.5)
  
• 
  Terracotta hydria (water jar), ca. 510–500 B.C.; black-figure
  Greek, Attic
  Attributed to the Class of Hamburg 1917.477
  H. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1906 (06.1021.77)
  
• 
  Oinochoe-chous (jug) depicting women perfuming clothes, ca. 420–410 B.C.; Red-figure
  Attributed to the Meidias Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 8 7/16 in. (21.41 cm)
  Gift of Samuel G. Ward, 1875 (75.2.11)
  

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By the mid-sixth century B.C., craftsmen of the Athenian potters' quarter, known as the Kerameikos, had arrived at a fully developed style of black-figure vase painting. Many depicted scenes of hoplites putting on their armor, bidding farewell to loved ones, or advancing in phalanx formation. Most vases illustrated myths or heroic tales in which gods, goddesses, legendary heroes, and Amazons mingled with warriors in hoplite armor. These elegant battle scenes must have afforded great pleasure to an aristocratic class that embraced an ethos of military valor and athletic competition.

As vase painters were able to represent the human body in increasingly complex poses, they more frequently depicted scenes of everyday life.

Related

Timelines (1)

• Ancient Greece, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (6)

• Athenian Vase Painting: Black- and Red-Figure Technique
• Athletics in Ancient Greece
• Greek Art in the Archaic Period
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• The Symposium in Ancient Greece
• Warfare in Ancient Greece

Other Thematic Essays (22)

• American Scenes of Everyday Life, 1840
• Ancient Greek Dress
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Classical Art and Modern Dress
• Classicism in Modern Dress
• Contemporary Deconstructions of Classical Dress
• Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece
• Funerary Vases in Southern Italy and Sicily
• Geometric Art in Ancient Greece
• Greek Hydriai (Water Jars) and their Artistic Decoration
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• Music in Ancient Greece
• Neoclassicism
• Southern Italian Vase Painting
• The Chiton, Peplos, and Himation in Modern Dress
• The Five Wares of South Italian Vase Painting
• The Greek Key and Divine Attributes in Modern Dress
• The Technique of Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece
• Theseus, Hero of Athens
• Time of Day on Painted Athenian Vases
• Trade and Commercial Activity in the Byzantine and early Islamic Middle East
• Women in Classical Greece

Maps (2)

• Europe, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.
• World, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.

Index Terms (19)

Art Movement/Style

• Archaic Period in Greek Art
• Black–Figure Style in Greek Art
• Classical Period in Greek Art
• Red–figure Style in Greek Art

Artist

• Andokides Painter (Greek, active ca. 530–515/10 b.c.)
• Douris (Greek, active 500–475 b.c.)
• Lysippides Painter (Greek, active ca. 530–510 b.c.)
• Painter of Munich 2660 (Greek, active 475–450 b.c.)
• Washing Painter (Greek, ca. 450–420 b.c.)
• Washing Painter (Greek, ca. 450–420 b.c.)

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula

Material and Technique

• Ceramic from the Balkan Peninsula
• Painted Ceramic from Europe

Subject Matter/Theme

• Aphrodite or Venus
• Artemis or Diana
• Musician
• Warrior
• Games
• Sports

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In the years around 530 B.C., the red-figure technique was invented, quite possibly by the potter Andokides and his workshop. It gradually replaced the black-figure technique as innovators recognized the possibilities that came with drawing forms, rather than laboriously delineating them with incisions. The use of a brush was suited to the naturalistic representation of anatomy, garments, and emotions. As vase painters were able to represent the human body in increasingly complex poses, they more frequently depicted scenes of everyday life–athletics, drinking, and warfare–that allowed them to show off their mastery of the new medium. Apart from a few significant exceptions, these vases depicted an Athenian man's world. It was not until the middle of the fifth century B.C. that vase painters broadened their repertoire to include scenes of daily life that focused on women engaged in domestic activities. This innovation reflected not only decorative preferences, but also the uses to which the finest vases were put.




By the late fifth century, there was another distinct change in tone as vase painters opted to depict more poignant moments. Warriors arming or fighting were replaced by statuesque youths taking leave of their families, and scenes of music making associated with symposia earlier in the century were transformed into intimate depictions of several figures listening to a performer. Scenes of women performing domestic activities became particularly focused on wedding preparations and celebrations of the bride.

Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Scenes of Everyday Life in Ancient Greece". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/evdy/hd_evdy.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Bérard, Claude, et al. A City of Images: Iconography and Society in Ancient Greece. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988. Blundell, Sue Women in Ancient Greece. London: British Museum Press, 1995. Oakley, John H., and Rebecca H. Sinos The Wedding in Ancient Athens. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1993. Reeder, Ellen D., ed. Pandora: Women in Classical Greece. Exhibition catalogue.. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Moore, Mary B. "The Passas Painter: A Protoattic 'Realist'?" Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 38 (2003). JSTOR | PDF