POINTED AMPHORA&

HYDRIA

Kleophrades Painter

KLEOPHRADES PAINTER

Pointed Amphora

Basic Facts

Vase shape: pointed amphoraFunction: storing wine, oils, olives

etc.Potter: KleophradesPainter: the Kleophrades PainterDate: 500-490BCHeight: 56cm

Shape of the Vase

The foot tapers to a very small foot and would not actually be able to stand by itself!

It was very unusual for artists to paint this shape because of their awkward shape.

Painter

did not sign this vesselattributed to this painter due to artistic

similarities to a cup in the Louvre which is signed by the potter Kleophrades

was a student of Euthymides (thus has same interest in foreshortening, dramatic intensity, elegant lines and attention to detail)

uses incision (mostly on hair details but also on other features)

Innovations

paints the eye more accurately – with the pupil at the inner corner, i.e. in profile with the body (rather than the previous frontal eyes)

a full 'S' shape is used for nostrils

outlining of lips to make them appear fuller

Subject – Main frieze side A

Dionysos in the centre with a maenad either side

Subject – Main frieze side B

A satyr playing an aulus with a maenad either side

Subject – Neck side A

three athletes including a javelin thrower, and a discus thrower (a pick is between the

legs of the javelin thrower)

Subject – Neck side B

three athletes; a sponge bag and an aryballos hang on the wall

Composition - Overall

main scene encircles the vaseneck set off sharply from the body, then

tapers to a very small foot

Composition – Main frieze

figures fill the height of the frieze (two smaller satyrs under the handles)

single groundlineeach figure in its own space

except for some overlapping of hands/legs etc.

some symmetry – central male figure on each side; each side separated by satyr under the handle; two maenads on either side of central figure

Composition - Neck

some symmetry with the three athletes on each side

not encircling (friezes are separated by the handles)

Figurative Details – Dionysos, side A

dressed in a chiton and himation (with many folds)

wears a purple ivy leave crown over his shoulders is a knotted leopard skin grasps an ivy vine above his head carries a kantharos cup in a careless manner

(it's tilted) he is turned to look behind him his hair fans out in ringlets his back heel is raised to indicate he is walking all his body is in profile except for his frontal

left arm & hand identified by his accompanying maenads &

satyrs, the vines, the cup and the animal skins

Figurative Details – Maenads, side A

both wear a chiton and himation (with detailed folds that fall to zigzags)

they also wear a sakkos (cloth hairnet)

both carry the thyrsos (staff made of fennel stalk with a cap of ivy leaves – to fend off the satyrs)

the maenad to the left of Dionysos wears a deer skin over her clothing

the left maenad also carries a snake hissing at the satyr

the maenad on the right fends off the satyr with her left arm and attempts to attack him with her thyrsos

Figurative Details – Central Satyr, side B

plays a aulus (double flute)

wears a deer skin around his shoulders

frontal torso & head; profile tail & legs

comical-looking because of his wild hair & beard and snubbed nose

Figurative Details – Maenads, side B

in ecstasyas with the

maenads on side A, they both wear himation and chitons

Figurative Details – under the handles

two satyrs advancing on maenads

also wear deer skins around their shoulders – all the satyrs are deliberately contrasted with the maenads' elegance

Non-Figurative Details

main frieze bordered above by stylised tongues and below by labyrinth meanders with saltires (crosses in squares)

below frieze – series of bands – black, red, ray band, red line and black base

Painting Technique

red-figure (i.e. figures painted with relief line, background painted with black slip, details such as eyes, facial features, drapery added with black slip)

added dilute honey-coloured used on hair of one of the maenads, the snake with spotted skin, the deer hide on the maenad, the leopard skin on Dionysos and the kantharos Dionysos holds

purple added to the wreaths and the snake markings

Mood – Happy, carefree / ecstasy

eyes are 'trance-like‘ mouths are open as if singing

or yelling one maenad has a thyrsos

thrown over her shoulder in a relaxed manner

head of another maenad is thrown back as if in ecstasy

most of the arms of the figures are away from the body as if swinging/dancing

next to two maenads – 'kalos' and 'kale' (masculine and feminine forms of 'beautiful') are written as if they are calling them out

Drapery

maenads wear chitons and himations thickness of the material shown by

closeness of the lines (i.e. the chiton is much thicker so the lines are close together)

zigzag folds at the bottom of the cloth have realistic quality about them

the himations flow behind three of the maenad suggesting movement and then falls to realistic points in the fabric

the chitons move with the maenads' bodies the chitons also end in zigzag folds the chitons are almost transparent so that

you can see the outlines of legs underneath