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A lekythos is a vessel used to store oil used for religious or funerary purposes (1). This lekythos is an example of an ancient Greek vase decorated in the black-figure technique (2).
What are ancient vases used for?
For the ancient Greeks, vases were mostly functional objects made to be used, not just admired. They used ceramic vessels in every aspect of their daily lives: for storage, carrying, mixing, serving, and drinking, and as cosmetic and perfume containers.
What was the hydria vase used for?
The hydria, primarily a pot for fetching water, derives its name from the Greek word for water. Hydriai often appear on painted Greek vases in scenes of women carrying water from a fountain (06.1021. 77), one of the duties of women in classical antiquity.
What were red-figure vases used for?
Like black-figure pottery, red-figure pottery was created in a variety of shapes for specific uses. Daily use pottery, such as amphora for transporting goods and hydria for drawing water, often depicted scenes of daily life.
What were black figure vases used for?
Between the beginning of the sixth and the end of the fourth century 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.
What was ancient Greek pottery used for?
The Greeks used pottery vessels primarily to store, transport, and drink such liquids as wine and water. Smaller pots were used as containers for perfumes and unguents.
What do ancient Greek vases tell us?
What’s in a pot? Greek pots are important because they tell us so much about how life was in Athens and other ancient Greek cities. Pots came in all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on their purpose, and were often beautifully decorated with scenes from daily life.
What was a krater used for?
krater, also spelled crater, ancient Greek vessel used for diluting wine with water. It usually stood on a tripod in the dining room, where wine was mixed. Kraters were made of metal or pottery and were often painted or elaborately ornamented.
What is a vase with two handles called?
An amphora is a two-handled vase with a long neck that is narrower than its body. A smaller-size amphora is called an amphoriskos.
How did ancient Greeks carry water?
Hydriai were used to carry water. In ancient Greece, water was difficult to come by. Water had to be channelled into the cities where it could be collected at public fountains. Poorer Greek women and the slaves of richer families would meet at these fountains and chat as they queued for the water.
What period was black figure pottery?
black-figure pottery, type of Greek pottery that originated in Corinth c. 700 bce and continued to be popular until the advent of red-figure pottery c. 530 bce.
Which came first red-figure or black-figure?
The Red-figure technique was first adopted in Athens in the 6th century BCE. Before this period, the Black-figure pottery technique was prevalently utilized. The technique consisted of a background painted in black slip (instead of the figures) and relief lines were used for details.
How was Greek black figure pottery made?
As the vases were being made, a liquid clay called slip was applied to patch up weak areas or hold pieces together. The slip turned black during firing, and potters began intentionally painting on the slip in distinctive shapes before firing, resulting in black figures.
What is the difference between red and black figure pottery?
Red-figure is essentially the reverse of black figure: the background is filled in with a fine slip and has a black colour after firing, while the figures are reserved. Details are added using fine brushes instead of through incision, allowing the artists to add a greater level of detail to their art.
How did the Greeks paint their pottery?
The Ancient Greeks made pots from clay. Potters from Corinth and Athens used a special watery mixture of clay to paint their pots while the clay was still soft. After it was baked in the kiln, the sections of the pot they had painted with the clay would turn black, while the rest of the pot was red-brown.
Why was Greek pottery black?
The black-figure and red-figure techniques of ancient Greek vase painting were achieved using slip, not paint. The familiar black color of ancient Greek slip resulted from the natural presence of iron oxide in the clay, which turns black during the firing process.
What is a Greek vase called?
The Greek Amphora The best-known type of Ancient Greek vase is the storage or transport vessel called the amphora, though other types include the pithos, pelike, hydria, and pyxis.
What are Greek vases made from?
Made of terracotta (fired clay), ancient Greek pots and cups, or “vases” as they are normally called, were fashioned into a variety of shapes and sizes (see above), and very often a vessel’s form correlates with its intended function.
Why are painted Greek vases important for understanding the past?
Why are painted Greek vases important for understanding the past? A large number of vases also portray mythological scenes that were popular. In many cases these complement and add to our knowledge of Greek mythology from other sources.
Why vase is an art?
Some artists use the vessel, some use “boats”, some use “houses”, some a rectangular canvas. The vase is a format for exploration, for self expression, and I use it often. The classic vases, Egyptian or Greek especially, have a voice for me. They are purposeful, often conveying thoughts or capturing a moment in time.
What is Greek mythology known for?
Greek Mythology is the set of stories about the gods, goddesses, heroes and rituals of Ancient Greeks. The most popular Greek Mythology figures include Greek Gods like Zeus, Poseidon & Apollo, Greek Goddesses like Aphrodite, Hera & Athena and Titans like Atlas.
What can we learn from studying ancient Greek artwork?
What can we learn from studying ancient Greek artwork? We can learn about their Gods, religion and pottery and also how to make pottery.
What is krater vase?
A krater or crater (Greek: κρατήρ, kratēr, literally “mixing vessel”) was a large vase in Ancient Greece, used for the dilution of wine with water.
What is the function of calyx krater?
It is a krater, a bowl made for mixing wine and water, and specifically a calyx-krater, where the bowl resembles the calyx of a flower. Vessels such as these were often used at a symposion, which was an elite party for drinking.
What is the terracotta krater?
Dipylon kraters are Geometric Period Greek terracotta funerary vases found at the Dipylon cemetery, near the Dipylon Gate, in Kerameikos, the ancient potters quarter on the northwest side of the ancient city of Athens.
