Athena wearing the aegis, Attic black-figured hydria by the potter Panphaios (signed) and the Euphiletos Painter, c. 540 BC. Found in Toscanella, Cabinet des Médailles, BNF (Paris), De Ridder n°254

The black-figure pottery technique is a style of ancient Greek pottery painting in which the decoration appears as black silhouettes on a red background. Originated in Corinth during the early 7th century BC, it was introduced into Attica about a generation later. Other notable black-figure potteries existed at Sparta and in eastern Greece. The technique flourished until being practically replaced by the more advanced red-figure pottery technique in 530 BC, although later examples do exist. Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... Bilingual Amphora by the Andokides Painter, ca. ... A silhouette is a view of an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Greek: Κόρινθος, Kórinthos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 7th century BC started on January 1, 700 BC and ended on December 31, 601 BC. // Overview Events Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria who created the the first systematically collected library at Nineveh A 16th century depiction of the Hanging Gardens of... Attica (in Greek: Αττική, Attike; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a periphery (subdivision) in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. ... Sparta (Doric: Spártā, Attic: Spártē) is a city in southern Greece. ... Woman officiating at an altar, Attic red-figure kylix by Chairias, c. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC Events and Trends 538 BC - Babylon occupied by Jews transported to Babylon are allowed to return to...

Manufacturing techniques

Greek vases were made of a pale iron-rich clay which turned a reddish-orange colour when fired. The design was sketched in outline, then filled in using refined clay as paint. Details would be added with an engraving tool, scratching through the paint layer to the clay below. The vessel would then be fired in a kiln at a temperature of about 800°C, with the resultant oxidization turning the vase to a reddish-orange colour. The temperature was then raised to about 950°C with the kiln's vents closed and green wood being added to remove the oxygen. The vessel then turned an overall black. The final stage required the vents to be re-opened to allow oxygen into the kiln, which was allowed to cool down. The vessel then returned to its reddish-orange colour due to renewed oxidization, while the now-sintered painted layer remained the glossy black colour created in the second stage. General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... Charcoal Kilns, California Gold Kiln, Victoria, Australia Hop kiln. ... Sintering is a method for making objects from powder, increasing the adhesion between particles as they are heated. ...

Apart from black, other colours could be used by modifying the characteristics of the clay used to paint the vase. The most common was a yellowish-white derived from a purified iron-free clay, and a purplish-red derived from the same refined clay used to produce the black areas mixed with ochre (red iron oxide) and water. This article is about the color. ... Iron oxide pigment There are a number of iron oxides: Iron oxides Iron(II) oxide or ferrous oxide (FeO) The black-coloured powder in particular can cause explosions as it readily ignites. ...

Styles and subjects

Scene from a black-figure amphora from Athens (6th century BC, Paris)

The Corinthians originally used black-figure pottery to depict animal friezes until the mid-6th century BC, when the great Athenian painters developed a sophisticated style of narrative decoration depicting subjects such as battle scenes, mythical beings and legendary episodes. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (500x623, 71 KB) Description : guerriers, amphore à figures noires (face B), peintre de Prométhée, Athènes (v. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (500x623, 71 KB) Description : guerriers, amphore à figures noires (face B), peintre de Prométhée, Athènes (v. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 6th century BC started on January 1, 600 BC and ended on December 31, 501 BC. // Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time... The main courtyard of the Louvre. ...

Black-figure pottery typically depicted figures in silhouette, but it was somewhat limited in artistic scope due to the limitations of engraving tools. Only a few painters are known by name, though many black-figure vases have been grouped on the basis of painting style and appear to be the work of distinct individuals or workshops. The most famous named painter is Exekias, a vase painter of the 6th century BC who is best known for his battle scenes. Exekias or Execias was one of the most famous ancient Greek potters, who worked between approximately 550 BC - 525 BC. He was renowned for his works of black-figure pottery, acting as both potter and painter. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 6th century BC started on January 1, 600 BC and ended on December 31, 501 BC. // Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time...

Famous black-figure potters

• Sophilos - 590 BC-580 BC
• Andokides - 550 BC-525 BC
• Exekias - 550s BC-525 BC

One of the best early Athenian black-figure potters. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC 610s BC 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC 570s BC 560s BC 550s BC 540s BC Events and Trends 598 BC - Jehoaichin succeeds Jehoiakim as King of Judah 598 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 620s BC - 610s BC - 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC Events and Trends 589 BC - Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as king of Egypt 588 BC _ Nebuchadnezzar II of... Andokides was a famous red-figure potter of Ancient Greece from around 550 BC. This potter is compared with the best black-figure potter Exekias who was said to have created the most detailed and best examples of black-figure pottery. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and Trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica 559 BC - King Cambyses I of Anshan dies... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC Events 529 BC - Cambyses II succeeds his father Cyrus as ruler of Persia. ... Exekias or Execias was one of the most famous ancient Greek potters, who worked between approximately 550 BC - 525 BC. He was renowned for his works of black-figure pottery, acting as both potter and painter. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and Trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica 559 BC - King Cambyses I of Anshan dies... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC Events 529 BC - Cambyses II succeeds his father Cyrus as ruler of Persia. ...

See also

• List of Greek Vase Painters#Black Figure Period
• Pottery of Ancient Greece
• Red-Figure Pottery

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bilingual Amphora by the Andokides Painter, ca. ... Woman officiating at an altar, Attic red-figure kylix by Chairias, c. ...

External links

• Black Figure Pottery for Kids
• J.D.Beazley The Development of Attic Black-Figure

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Black-figure pottery

• Beazley J.D., Attic Black-figure vase painters, London, 1956
• Boardman, J., Athenian Black Figure Vases, London, 1974
• Williams, D., Greek Vases, London, 1985

• "Black-figure vase painting". The Bloomsbury Guide to Art (1996)
• "Black-figure vase painting" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Michael Clarke. Oxford University Press, 2001
• "Black-figure pottery" Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006
• "Black-figure vase painting" The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Ed. Ian Chilvers. Oxford University Press, 2004