Attic White-Ground Pottery

The "white ground" style of pottery developed in Athens around 500 BC and was popular for about a century. Part of the vessel was covered with a white slip made from kaolin clay, and then scenes were painted on them. I just love these. They were the great discovery I made taking Greek art in college -- there was lots of other good stuff, but I had seen it or something like it before. I had never seen anything like these delicate drawings.

Most of the vessels in this style are lekythoi, oil bottles used in funeral rites. After the oil from the lekythos was used to anoint the corpse, the vessel was placed in the tomb. These were therefore not fired very well and the drawings are very fragile. Many of the scenes are related to death; this is Charon crossing the River Styx.

The earlier style was clunkier and involved more paint; this is the Sappho Painter, c. 500 BC.

The remarkable fine style using the lightest touch for lines developed later. This tomb scene is by the artist we call the Achilles Painter, one of the most famous masters of this technique; it is in the Met and dates to around 440 BC. The symbol over the figure on the right marks him as a dead soul.

Hermes guides a dead soul to Hades, attributed to the Sabouroff Painter, c. 450 BC.

A muse tuning her lyre, by the Hesiod Painter, 470 to 460 BC.

Lekythos by the Reed Painter, c. 420 to 410 BC.

A kylix showing a goddess pouring a libation, c. 470 BC, in the Met.

A warrior seated on his tomb while a woman bids a tearful farewell. In the Louvre, attributed to the Reed Painter, c. 415 BC.

A woman seated.

Aphrodite riding a Swan, by the Pistoxenos Painter, c. 460 BC.

Hypnos and Thanatos claim the soul of Sarpedon.

Apollo and a Black Bird, from Delphi, c. 460 BC.

Cutting her hair in morning for a dead warrior.