Ancient Greece

The world of pottery & painting in Ancient Greece

Techniques of creation..

Geometry and Harmonious engravings

Imagine an artist whose name remained unknown, but he went down in history as the Dipylon Master! He was active from around 760–750 BC ( geometric period) worked in Athens, where he and his workshop were established and almost 50 vases have been attributed to him, all of them pieces of art.

One of his most famous creations, is the Dipylon Amphora, which is held in the National Archaelogical museum of Athens.

Let's take a close look at his technique: In order for the central representation to be placed exactly in the center of the vase, and given that here we are not dealing with a flat surface, but a concave one, the painter used geometry and harmonious engravings (as shown in the photo). 

The exact measurement of the pot size plays a vital role, otherwise the representation wont fit.

Creating an object from terra cotta, to a specific dimension with millimeter precision, (which remains so even after it has been fired), is extremely difficult and requires enormous skill.

The Amphora includes characteristic human figures where geometric shapes are utilized including triangular torsos that narrow at the waist, concave-outlined chests, prominent chins, and wasp-like legs that are thinner towards the feet. These figures are silhouetted, as well as the animal motifs and are all deliberately placed as to not overlap one another, emphasizing the theme of pattern by the painter.

Cosmetics – Perfume oils

For body and beauty care, they had a multitude of perfume containers and cosmetic vessels that contained aromatic substances, oil for the skin and hair, cosmetics and powders. The vessels for aromatic oils have a narrow mouth and a wide rim so that the precious oil is not lost when filling or pouring. Lykethos is the general name for these vessels, the spherical arybalos is considered the vessel of men, while the alabaster is considered the vessel of women. The rim of the mouth of these cosmetic containers is turned downward and inward into the interior of the vessel, so that one can easily stir the liquids inside it.

Pictorial decoration, representations, themes, motifs

The pottery of ancient Greece is extremely rich in terms of the variety of themes and motifs, it is carefully designed by their artists, while there is a close formal relationship between the body of the vessel and its decoration.

Linear motifs, geometric designs, plant motifs, animals, mythological beings, gods, demigods, war heroes, narrative images, entire representations with scenes from mythology and battles.

The mythological material that came through Homer and Hesiod is reflected in the fine arts. From the 6th century BC, vase painters began to observe real life around them and to depict it. The worship of Dionysus, great festivals such as the Panathenaia and the Anthesteria provide rich material. Athletes exercising, crowned winners of games, give painters stimuli to study the complex movements and anatomical details of the human body. Everyday occupations are depicted, such as fisherman, coppersmith, salesman, women bathing or weaving, boys taking reading, writing and music lessons, wedding ceremonies, hunting scenes, symposiums, the Trojian war.

The scenes are often commented on by the artists, a sign that the vase painters communicated in a lively dialogue with their customers!

The themes, following their time, change during the Persian wars. The painters now depict the passions of the heroes, the divine destiny. They borrow themes from the Tragedies, they narrate scenes of mourning and farewell with a refined style and increased expressive power.

In the last phase of Attic vase painting in the 4th century BC, we encounter scenes from the Eleusinian Myserian cult.

Vase shapes - Ceramics for Use

The research has a wealth of material on the naming and use of ancient vessels. They often bear inscriptions themselves regarding their name, while in addition we have quite a few illuminating references from literature. Likewise, the representations painted on them offer great material.

At home and at the symposiums

In the ancient Greek home, we find all kinds of utensils for cooking or storage. Pots, dishes, jugs, graters, spice jars, ladles, bowls. Symposiums also required specially designed utensils. Let's take a look at the most important of them:

Amphora was used to store wine, oil, milk, water, honey, solid food supplies such as cereals, legumes, nuts, salted fish.
Many amphorae have been recovered from sunken ships as they were commercial and transport vessels as well.

Some variations of the amphora were the pitcher, the pelike, and the pythos, vessels that contained the wealth of home cellars.

Hydria, the water pot with three handles, that facilitated its transportation from the fountains that were usually far, in front of the city gates.
The krater, was used to mix wine with water, essential for festive banquets.
Around 500 BC, we find the Psykter, which ensured cooling of its contents with ice or snow, which was transported from the mountains.
With the oinochoe, they pumped the wine from the krater to pour it into the glasses that had various shapes. Skyphos, kothon or kylix. The kylix became the essential vessel around 600 BC, since it was easier to bring it to the mouth while lying on the couch.

The decoration of theKylix was adapted to the way it was used, because when drinking from it, one could see the painting inside, while when it was hung on the wall, one could see the external representations.

Funerary vases

Since they were not intended for use in everyday life, they have specific features of decoration and technique. They contain scenes of mourning, and they are decorated with snakes, mourning women, rosettes, lotus flowers, that is, motifs taken from the mortuary symbolic language. Often the glaze is missing from their interior as would normally be required for practical use.