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Athenian Vase Painting: Black– and Red–Figure Techniques

• 
  Aryballos, ca. 570 B.C.; black-figure
  Greek, Attic
  Signed by Nearchos as potter
  Terracotta; H. 3 1/16 in. (7.77 cm)
  Purchase, The Cesnola Collection, by exchange, 1926 (26.49)
  
  Around the lip: pygmies fighting cranes
  Around the main surface of the handle: three satyrs; on the ends: Hermes and Perseus; on top: two Tritons
  
• 
  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)
  
• 

  Neck-amphora, Archaic, ca. 540–530 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to a painter of the Princeton Group
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 13 in. (33 cm)
  The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 2010 (2010.147)

• 
  Column-krater, ca. 550 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to Lydos
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 22 3/16 in. (56.39 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.11.11)
  
  Obverse: Hephaistos on a mule among satyrs and maenads
  Reverse: Dionysos among satyrs and maenads
  
• 
  Kylix, ca. 540–530 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Amasis Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.62)
  
  Obverse: Poseidon among Greek warriors
  Reverse: stables of Poseidon
  
• 
  Neck-amphora, ca. 540 B.C.; Archaic; black-figure
  Attributed to Exekias
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.230.14a,b)
  Gift of J. D. Beazley, 1927 (27.16)
  
• 
  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)
  
• 
  Stamnos with lid, ca. 450 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Menelaos Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 14 7/8 in. (37.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1906 (06.1021.178)
  
• 
  Amphora, ca. 530 B.C.; Archaic; red-figure
  Signed by Andokides, as potter; Attributed to the Andokides Painter (red-figure decoration); Attributed to Psiax (black-figure decoration)
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 22 5/8 in. (57.5 cm)
  Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1963 (63.11.6)
  
• 
  Bell-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) , ca. 440 B.C.; Red-figure
  Attributed to the Persephone Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1928 (28.57.23)
  
  Obverse: The return of Persephone
  Reverse: Libation scene
  
• 
  Panathenaic amphora, ca. 530 B.C.; Archaic
  Attributed to the Euphiletos Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 24 1/2 in. (62.23 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1914 (14.130.12)
  
• 
  Bell-krater, ca. 440 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Painter of London E 497
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 5/8 in. (29.49 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1924 (24.97.30)
  
  Obverse: Orpheus playing lyre for Thracian men
  Reverse: libation scene
  
• 
  Panathenaic prize amphora, ca. 525–500 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Kleophrades Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 25 1/2 in. (64.7 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.79)
  
• 
  Panathenaic prize amphora, ca. 525–500 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Kleophrades Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 25 in. (63.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1916 (16.71)
  
  Reverse: pankration (athletic contest) and judge
  Obverse: Athena
  
• 
  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)
  
• 
  Psykter, ca. 520–510 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to Oltos
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 13 5/8 in. (34.59 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.210.18)
  
• 

  Plate, ca. 520–510 B.C.; red-figure
  Greek, Attic
  Signed by Epiktetos as painter
  Terracotta; Diam. 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm)
  Purchase, The Bothmer Purchase Fund, and Norbert Schimmel Foundation Inc. and Christos G. Bastis Gifts, 1981 (1981.11.10)

• 
  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)
  
• 

  Plate, Archaic, ca. 510 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to Paseas
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; Diam. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
  The Bothmer Purchase Fund, and Promised Gift of Andrés A. Mata, 2010 (2010.64)

• 
  Stamnos (Jar), late 6th century B.C.
  Attributed to the Painter of London B 343
  Greek, Archaic, Attic, black-figure
  Terracotta; 13 3/8 in. (34 cm)
  Gift of Patricia Stickney, 2011 (2011.233)
• 
  Amphora, ca. 490 B.C.; Classical; red-figure
  Attributed to the Berlin Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 16 5/16 in. (41.5 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1956 (56.171.38)
  
• 
  Lekythos, ca. 480 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Brygos Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 1/8 in. (28.4 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1924 (24.97.28)
  
• 
  Bell krater, ca. 460 B.C.; Classical; red-figure
  Attributed to the Danae Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
  Roger Fund, 1923 (23.160.80)
  
• 
  Lekythos (oil flask) depicting Poseidon pursuing Amymone, ca. 440 B.C.; Red-figure
  Attributed to the Phiale Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 17 7/16 in. (44.30 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.230.35)
  
• 

  Column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), Classical, ca. 430 B.C., red-figure
  Attributed to the Marlay Painter (Attic vase painter, active ca. 450-ca. 420 B.C.)
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 15 in. (38.1 cm); Diam. with handles 14 1/16 in. (35.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.65)

  
  

  Obverse: horseman; reverse: komasts (revelers)

• 
  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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Between the beginning of the sixth and the end of the fourth centuries B.C., black- and red-figure techniques were used in Athens to decorate fine pottery while simpler, undecorated wares fulfilled everyday household purposes. With both techniques, the potter first shaped the vessel on a wheel. Most sizeable pots were made in sections; sometimes the neck and body were thrown separately, and the foot was often attached later. Once these sections had dried to a leather hardness, the potter assembled them and luted the joints with a slip (clay in a more liquid form). Lastly, he added the handles. In black-figure vase painting, figural and ornamental motifs were applied with a slip that turned black during firing, while the background was left the color of the clay. Vase painters articulated individual forms by incising the slip or by adding white and purple enhancements (mixtures of pigment and clay). In contrast, the decorative motifs on red-figure vases remained the color of the clay; the background, filled in with a slip, turned black. Figures could be articulated with glaze lines or dilute washes of glaze applied with a brush. The red-figure technique was invented around 530 B.C., 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 in red-figure technique was better suited to the naturalistic representation of anatomy, garments, and emotions.

The use of a brush in red-figure technique was better suited to the naturalistic representation of anatomy, garments, and emotions.

Related

Timelines (2)

• Ancient Greece, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (5)

• Greek Art in the Archaic Period
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• Greek Hydriai (Water Jars) and their Artistic Decoration
• Scenes of Everyday Life in Ancient Greece
• The Art of Classical Greece (ca. 480–323 B.C.)

Other Thematic Essays (34)

• Africans in Ancient Greek Art
• Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels
• Ancient Greek Dress
• Athletics in Ancient Greece
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Classical Art and Modern Dress
• Classicism in Modern Dress
• Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece
• Etruscan Art
• Funerary Vases in Southern Italy and Sicily
• Geometric and Archaic Cyprus
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• Music in Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Civilization
• Mythic Details: The Greek Key, Laurels, and the Attributes of Goddesses
• Neoclassicism
• Nudity and Classical Themes in Byzantine Art
• Prehistoric Cypriot Art and Culture
• Roman Inscriptions
• Southern Italian Vase Painting
• The Cesnola Collection at The Metropolian Museum
• The Chiton, Peplos, and Himation in Modern Dress
• The Five Wares of South Italian Vase Painting
• The Kithara in Ancient Greece
• The Labors of Herakles
• The Praenestine Cistae
• The Roman Banquet
• The Symposium in Ancient Greece
• The Technique of Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece
• Theater in Ancient Greece
• Theseus, Hero of Athens
• Time of Day on Painted Athenian Vases
• Warfare in Ancient Greece
• Women in Classical Greece

Maps (2)

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

Index Terms (46)

Art Movement/Style

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

Artist

• Achilles Painter, or Meletos Painter (Greek, active ca. 470–425 b.c.)
• Amykos Painter (Greek, active ca. 430–400 b.c.)
• Andokides Painter (Greek, active ca. 530–515/10 b.c.)
• APZ Painter (Greek, active ca. 330–ca. 320 b.c.)
• Archidamos Sub–Group (Greek, active ca. 340–305 b.c.)
• Ashby Painter (Greek, active ca. 500–480 b.c.)
• Asteas (Greek, active ca. 350–320 b.c.)
• Berlin Painter (Greek, ca. 500–475 b.c.)
• Brygos Painter (Greek, active ca. 490–470 b.c.)
• Danae Painter (Greek, ca. 450–420 b.c.)
• Epiktetos (Greek, active ca. 520–490 b.c.)
• Exekias (Greek, active 540–520 b.c.)
• Kleophrades Painter (Greek, active ca. 505–475 b.c.)
• Lydos (Greek, active ca. 565–535 b.c.)
• Lysippides Painter (Greek, active ca. 530–510 b.c.)
• Marlay Painter (Attic vase painter, active ca. 450–ca. 420 b.c.)
• Menelaos Painter (Greek, ca. 450–420 b.c.)
• Nearchos (Greek, active ca. 550–560 b.c.)
• Oltos (Greek, active ca. 525–500 b.c.)
• Painter of London B 343
• Painter of London E 497 (Greek, active ca. 450–420 BC)
• Paseas (Greek, active ca. 530–510 b.c.)
• Persephone Painter
• Princeton Group (Greek, active ca. 550–525 b.c.)
• Psiax (Greek, active ca. 530–500 b.c.)

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula

Material and Technique

• Ceramic from the Balkan Peninsula
• Painted Ceramic from Europe

Object

• Chariot
• Implement for Tableware
• Figural Vessel from Europe
• Vessel from the Balkan Peninsula
• Shallow Vessel (Platter, Plate, Basin, or Bowl)
• Shallow Vessel from Europe
• Tall Vessel (Vase, Pitcher, or Bottle)
• Tall Vessel from Europe

Subject Matter/Theme

• Bird
• Secular Figure
• Musician
• Vessel with Floral Motif
• Sex

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The firing process of both red- and black-figure vessels consisted of three stages. During the first, oxidizing stage, air was allowed into the kiln, turning the whole vase the color of the clay. In the subsequent stage, green wood was introduced into the chamber and the oxygen supply was reduced, causing the object to turn black in the smoky environment. In the third stage, air was reintroduced into the kiln; the reserved portions turned back to orange while the glossed areas remained black.




Painted vases were often made in specific shapes for specific daily uses—storing and transporting wine and foodstuffs (amphora), drawing water (hydria), drinking wine or water (kantharos or kylix), and so on—and for special, often ritual occasions, such as pouring libations (lekythos) or carrying water for the bridal bath (loutrophoros). Their pictorial decorations provide insights into many aspects of Athenian life, and complement the literary texts and inscriptions from the Archaic and, especially, Classical periods.



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

Citation Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Athenian Vase Painting: Black- and Red-Figure Techniques". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vase/hd_vase.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Beazley, John D. Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963. Beazley, John D. The Development of Attic Black-Figure. Rev. ed.. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. Cook, R. M. Greek Painted Pottery. 3d ed.. New York: Routledge, 1996. Noble, Joseph Veach The Techniques of Painted Attic Pottery. Rev. ed.. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1988. Norris, Michael Greek Art from Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Robertson, Martin The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 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 Hegesiboulos Cup.” Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43 (2008). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "The Princeton Painter in New York." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 42 (2007). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "Hoplites, Horses, and a Comic Chorus." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 41 (2006). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "Horse Care as Depicted on Greek Vases Before 400 B.C." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 39 (2004). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "Andokides and A Curious Attic Black-Figured Amphora." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 36 (2001). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "'Nikias Made Me': An Early Panathenaic Prize Amphora in The Metropolitan Museum of Art." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 34 (1999). JSTOR | PDF Ferrari, Gloria "The End of Aponia." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 30 (1995). JSTOR | PDF Cohen, Beth "The Literate Potter: A Tradition of Incised Signatures on Attic Vases." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 26 (1991). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Euphronios and Memnon? Observations on a Red-figured Fragment." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 22 (1987). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "A New Hydria by the Antimenes Painter." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 18 (1983). JSTOR | PDF Mertens, Joan R. "An Attic Black-Figure Vase of the Mid-Sixth Century B.C." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 18 (1983). JSTOR | PDF Clark, Andrew J. "The Earliest Known Chous by the Amasis Painter." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 15 (1980). JSTOR | PDF Mertens, Joan R. "Attic White-Ground Cups: A Special Class of Vases." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 9 (1974). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Greek Vase Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 31, no. 1 (Fall, 1972). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Greek Vase Painting" PDF "Greek Vase Painting: An Introduction" PDF Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta "The Department of Greek and Roman art: Triumphs and Tribulations." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 3 (1970). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Aspects of a Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 27, no. 10 (June, 1969). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Euboean Black-Figure in New York." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 2 (1969). JSTOR | PDF Scherer, Margaret R. "Helen of Troy." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 25, no. 10 (June, 1967). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Andokides the Potter and the Andokides Painter." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 24, no. 6 (February, 1966). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Painted Greek Vases." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 21, no. 1 (Summer, 1962). JSTOR | PDF "Greek Vases in the Recent Accessions Room." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 19, no. 5 (January, 1961). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Greek Vases from the Hearst Collection." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 15, no. 7 (March, 1957). JSTOR | PDF Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta "Greek Painting: Four Newly Acquired Vases." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 3, no. 7 (March, 1945). JSTOR | PDF Milne, Marjorie Josephine "Melusa's Prize." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 3, no. 4 (December, 1944). JSTOR | PDF