WHITE GROUND WARE The Penthesileia and Achilles Painters

White Ground  The last of the three major styles of Greek vase painting  Not a late development thought – it was being experimented with from the 6 th century BC  This style was discarded by leading artist because of it’s the fragile nature of the white slip meant it was not very practical for everyday use  It was however, too innovative and too visually striking to be abandoned altogether  Thus, it became the chief form of decoration for funerary lekythoi from the middle of the 5 th century BC onwards  Being a funerary vessel meant that the vase was rarely handled (only in the death rituals and then placed beside the tomb) and therefore its decoration would last longer

Production  Involved painting a chalky white slip over the surface of the vessel  This slip was a mixture of very fine white clay with some iron particles added to ensure that it fired a pure white  The surface decoration was then applied with a paintbrush in the manner of red-figure, but since the characters were not surrounded by a black background they became outline designs  The painted decoration varied depending on what period what period the vessel was decorated in

Colours  Before the mid 5 th century BC, artists tended to rely heavily on the red-figure relief line and honey-coloured dilute glaze  But after 450BC the popularity of the black relief line died and it basically disappeared  From this time, the honey-coloured dilute glaze was popular because it tended to make the decoration appear a lot more delicate  Around the second quarter of the 5 th century BC, artists began experimenting with a much more varied colour palette and it was not uncommon to see purple, red and green  These brighter colours were applied after the pot had been fired as they could not withstand the heat of the kiln  The increased use of polychrome may have been influenced by the wall painters of the time – there does seem to be some link between the stark white background and brilliant colours of the vases and the contemporary frescoes painted by the major artists of the period

Penthesileia Painter

Basic Facts  Vase shape:pyxis  Function:jewellery or cosmetics box  Found in the tomb of a young Greek woman in Cumae, Italy  Potter:unknown  Painter:Penthesileia Painter  Date: BC  Height:17cm

Painter  did not sign his name  named after a large cup showing Achilles killing the Amazon Queen, Penthesileia at Troy  this pyxis is attributed to the same artist based on stylistic similarities  he is one of the few artists to work in both white ground and red-figure techniques

The Myth  Judgement of Paris

Paris  Paris  is still a shepherd so it is before the Trojan war  sits on a rock talking with Hermes  naked except for a chlamys (cloak) and petassos (travelling hat)  holds a club  curly hair  sits calmly on a rock  is in the centre of the composition  the mood is conveyed through Paris' relaxed pose  depicted as a simple shepherd  his left leg is foreshortened and turns inwards

Hermes  messenger of the gods  wears the same as Paris  has a caduceus (a magic staff) entwined with snakes  wears winged boots (instead of his usual sandals)

Bearded man  points a thin stick/staff in the direction of the three goddesses  possibly a spectator to fill the space or king Priam (father of Paris) or Zeus

Aphrodite & Eros Aphrodite  eventual winner of the competition  head slightly bent  gazes down at her son, Eros  her married status to Hephaistos is shown by the veil she wears over her hair – also a gesture of modesty  wears an Ionic chiton  holds a bowl in her hands Eros  accompanies Aphrodite, his mother

Athena  warrior goddess  holds a spear in her hand  wears an aegis over an elaborately embroidered peplos  identified by her helmet, spear and aegis

Hera  wears an Ionic chiton and embroidered himation  the diadem on her head and sceptre of kingship shows she is queen of the gods, wife of Zeus  carries a staff  a fold of her cloak is over her head – a gesture of modesty and shows that she's married

Composition The vase shape  the base of this vase is divided into three sections and are flared out to give more stability Overall  single groundline  no overlapping  attempt at three-dimensional through the shading of the rock  treatment of drapery gives figures a convincing three-dimensional look  Paris is in the centre

Figurative details Overall  nose turned up  head inclined  calm static poses

Non-figurative Details  stylised leaves above the main frieze

Inscriptions  two kalos inscriptions – one above the head of Paris, the other next to Eros on the other side of the vase – 'the boy is fair'

Painting Technique  mostly white-ground – at the leather hard stage, the vase is covered in white clay slip; figures are then drawn in a dark red slip outline; earthy browns and oranges are added before firing to preserve the colours which is unusual for white-ground; the vase was then fired but unlike later white- ground ware, there were no extra colours added after firing  there is little regard for highlighting – basically just a coloured drawing  the black outline almost gives a cartoon appearance  bright colours used (probably the same as wall paintings of the time)  although predominantly white-ground, there are parts that are painted in red-figure  the lid of the pyxis is in red-figure  the areas framing the scene are also in red-figure (i.e. the stylised leaves above and the base)  the white provides a more realistic background (this would be similar to the background used on wall paintings at the time)  the rock (underneath Paris) – the only part of the vase where shading & highlighting has been used – shows its rugged shape

Drapery  does not really reveal the form of the body underneath  different weights of fabrics shown by the closeness of vertical lines

Achilles Painter

Basic Facts  Vase shape:lekythos  Function:carrying oil in Athenian funeral rituals  Potter:unknown  Painter:Achilles Painter  Date: BC  Height:38.4cm

Painter  didn't sign his name  this vase is attributed to him through stylistic similarities  gets his name from the vase he painted with Achilles on it  student of the Berlin Painter  one of the greatest white-ground artists  one of the last painters to draw the outline in slip  over half the 200 vases attributed to him are funerary lekythoi

Subject  A woman and her maidservant  This is a non-funerary scene but it is likely she is preparing to visit a tomb

Figurative Details - overall  slender figures  elegant faces with long noses  faces appear sculptured rather than painted  long necks  figures are refined  figures appear severe, godlike and removed from the human world  these details would have been inspired by the sculpture of the period

Figurative Details - Woman  her face is elegantly executed  there is a straight line from her brow to the tip of her nose  her hair is curled on top, with a few curls on her forehead  wears a yellow chiton (one-piece garment which is belted around the waist) and a red- brown himation (large cloak)  she directs the maid with her right hand  her feet and body are frontal  her head turns to look at the maidservant

Figurative Details - maidservant  also has curled hair on top  carries a grey painted casket – she is offering it to her mistress  the paint that decorated her clothing is gone leaving her dress transparent

Other figurative details  a lekythos and mantle hang on the wall behind the maidservant  indicates the scene is indoors

Non-figurative details  schematic palmette on the shoulder  key pattern borders the scene at the top

Inscriptions  kalos inscription between the two figures: "Axiophathes, the son of Alkimachos, is handsome"  this inscription has nothing to do with the decoration  rectangular layout of the writing

Painting technique  white-ground ware  the paint that decorating the maidservants's clothing has gone leaving her dress transparent (all that's left is the glazed outline)

Eyes  True profile