Greek vase depicting Heracles and Iolaos fighting Cycno, 510-500 BCE.
Many of these ceramics were decorated with narrative paintings that visualized stories of popular myths and early Mediterranean life.
They give us a glimpse into the lives, practices, and beliefs of a long-past culture.
Greek vase depicting Heracles and Iolaos fighting Cycno, 510-500 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 DE)
How was ancient Greek pottery made?
Clay was widely available throughout Greece, but the most popular punch in was Attic clay.
The potter then returned to the wheel to smooth the join marks and refine the final shape.
Panathenaic amphora by the Mastos Painter, 530-520 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Once they found a shape that worked, it was reproduced and rarely changed.
Traditional styles include the amphora,pithos,pelike,hydria, andpyxis.
Mixing vessels
Dinos mixing vessel, c. 540 BCE.
Dinos mixing vessel, c. 540 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
They were used mainly for male drinking parties.
Typical types include thekraterand thedinos.
Jugs and cups
Kantharos drinking vessel, c. 420 BCE.
Kantharos drinking vessel, c. 420 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY 2.0)
Famous styles include thekantharos,phiale,skyphos,oinochoe, andloutrophoros.
Vases for oils, perfumes, and cosmetics
Lekythos vessel, 4th century BCE.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC0 1.0)
These vessels usually had long necks and no handles.
Lekythos vessel, 4th century BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC0 1.0)
Styles include the largelekythos, and the smallaryballos, andalabastron.
Despite the fact that Greek pottery was relatively restricted in shape, artistic freedom was achieved through decoration.
Scroll down to learn about the different painting styles that emerged.
Early proto-corinthian pottery crater, 725-700 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Decorative Styles
After the potter sculpted the vessel, it was handed to thepainterto decorate it.
Painters often worked in collective workshops under the guidance of a master potter.
These painters didnt earn much, but their work was in great demand and sold throughout the Mediterranean.
Geometric pottery, c. 850 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Proto-Geometric Pottery
Early proto-corinthian pottery crater, 725-700 BCE.
Geometric Pottery
Geometric pottery, c. 850 BCE.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
From around 900 BCE,geometric artwas flourishing in Greece.
Geometric pottery. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The painted pottery style developed to include bold linear designs that are now instantly recognizable as ancient Greek motifs.
By the end of the 7th century, this new trend spread throughout the country.
Proto-Corinthian olpe with animals and sphinxes, c. 640 BC630 BCE.
Proto-Corinthian olpe with animals and sphinxes, c. 640 BC–630 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Mostly in black ink, the figures were often illustrated in complex scenes from Greek mythology.
Artists painted their figures posed to show their movements, from fighting their enemies to dancing.
Around this time, many vase painters began signing their work.
Black figure pottery, c. 520 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
This indicates their pride and ambition as artists, as well as the high demand for their work.
Black-figure pottery by The Amasis Painter, c. 550-540 BCE.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Red-Figure Pottery
Red-figure pottery.
Black-figure pottery by The Amasis Painter, c. 550-540 BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Artists were also able to depict complex everyday scenes with greater perspective and overlapping figures.
Artists began favoring more open, flat mediasuch as wall paintingso that they could create more elaborate scenes.
And so, traditional Greek pottery died out as an art form.
Red-figure pottery. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Red-figure pottery fragments. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 4.0)
