Black-Figure Vase Painting

François vaseLydosExekias (belly amphora & kylix)Amasis Painter (women weaving & wedding procession)

Introduction

By the 7th century BC, the discipline & order of the Corinthian Orientalising technique had overwhelmed the Proto-Attic style

After their initial experiments with black-figure the Athenian potters recognised the promise of the new style & they went on to dominate the art market with their expertise

Old features continued The Attic black-figure of the 6th

century BC was a mixture of old & new features

The Orientalising ideas were absorbed into the new style & adapted to fit the larger panels of decoration

Other features included:The depiction of animals – but these

were overshadowed by the interest in human form

Fascination with ornamentation – both floral & stylised; they were no longer scattered on the vase to fill ‘holes’ – they were used to accent the shape of the vessel as well as to frame the new broader panels of decoration

Innovations White paint for female flesh introduced

(male’s skin remained glossy black colour of the original slip)

More naturalistic rendering of the human formUp until 550BC most figures rigid & 2-DAfter mid-6th century BC, attempts made at ¾ pose (combination of frontal & profile)More stately & grand composition

Drapery improved – rigid lines & chequerboard himation (cloak) replaced with long folds of cloth ending in a zigzag; any pattern was painted on & simple - it followed the contours of the cloth rather than being painted over it

Miniature & grand styles Miniature style

was inspired from the Corinthian tradition

Grand style created specifically by the Athenian potters to showcase their new style

François VaseVolute krater

Side A

Lip

Neck

Shoulder

Belly

Lower BellyLowest Belly

Foot

Side B

Lip

Neck

Shoulder

Belly

Lower BellyLowest Belly

Foot

Discovery Discovered in 1848 outside the Etruscan city of Chiusi by

Alessandro François It was found in fragments around a tomb; grave robbers who

had pillaged the site in antiquity had shattered it in their search for precious metal

François worked for several seasons on the site, sifting tonnes of earth & other debris in the search for fragments, before he had enough material to piece together an almost complete vessel

The François vase then went on display in Florence in 1900 but its glory was short-lived as it was shattered soon after by a ‘lunatic’, so that it had to be skilfully restored a second time by Florentine conservators