The 6 black-figure pots

What’s this?

François vase

What’s this?

Achilles and Ajax playing dice

What’s this?

Gorgons pursuing Perseus

What’s this?

Wedding of Peleus and Thetis (aka Sophilos’ Dinos)

What’s this?

Dionysius and the Maenads

What’s this?

Dionysus sailing on the ocean

Who painted the François vase?

Kleitias

Who painted the Dionysus sailing on the Ocean?

Exekias

Who painted Achilles and Ajax playing Dice?

Exekias

Who painted the Dionysus and the Maenads?

The Amasis painter

Who painted the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

Sophilos

Who painted Gorgons pursuing Perseus?

The Gorgon Painter

Date of the Francois vase?

570 BCE

Date of Gorgons Pursuing Perseus?

600 - 580 BCE

Date of Dionysus and the Maenads?

550 - 530 BCE

Date of Achilles and Ajax playing dice?

540 - 530 BCE

Date of the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

580 - 570 BCE

Date of Dionysus Sailing on the Ocean?

540 - 530 BCE

What type of pot is Gorgons pursuing Perseus?

Dinos and stand

What type of pot is the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

Dinos and stand

What type of pot is the Francois vase?

Volute krater

What type of pot is Dionysus and the Maenads?

Neck amphora

What type of pot is Achilles and Ajax playing dice?

Belly amphora

What type of pot is Dionysus sailing on the ocean?

Kylix

What notable characters are in Gorgons pursuing Perseus?

Perseus

Medusa’s head and Medusa’s body (note distinction)

The other two Gorgon sisters (Sthenos and Euryale)

Herakles and Kyknos fighting on the reverse side

Hermes and Athene

What notable characters are in the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

Probably easier to identify who isn’t (Thetis btw)… but anyways

Peleus

Iris

Hestia, Demeter, Leto and Chariklo

Bunch of muses

Ares and Aphrodite together

Zeus and Hera

Hermes and Apollo

Athene and Artemis

Hephaistos – riding side-saddle on a donkey

etc etc

What notable stories are in the Francois vase?

Narratives of different stories all over the pot (top to bottom order on one side):

Meleager and the Calydonian boar

Funeral games for Patroclus (Chariot race)

Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

Story of Troilus

(Now for the other side top to bottom):

Theseus returns to Athens after slaying Minotaur

Battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths

Wedding continued…

Hephaistos returning on his donkey to Olympus

(battle of cranes and pygmies along the bottom)

What’s the main narrative of Dionysus sailing on the ocean?

Dionysus is on his boat surrounded by dolphins, most likely showing the ending/aftermath of Dionysus and the Pirates in which they tried to kidnap him and he just turned them into dolphins (all except one).

Which characters are present on Achilles and Ajax playing dice?

Achilles and Ajax

on the reverse side:

Castor and Pollux return to their parents Leda and Tyndareus

What characters are present on Dionysus and the Maenads?

Dionysus

The two Maenads

(+ the dead rabbit and deer they’re holding)

on the reverse side:

Athene and Poseidon

plus sneaky little hidden frieze of soldiers fighting on the shoulder

Susan Woodford on Gorgon’s pursuing Perseus

‘artists are increasingly capable of convincing action and expression‘

‘Grandeur replaced by neatness‘

John Boardman on Gorgon’s pursuing Perseus

‘his human figures are stiff and mannered‘

‘Pursuit occupies the artists rather than attack as running Gorgons are very decorative ‘

Elizabeth Moignard on Gorgons pursuing Perseus

‘A choice has been made about which figures to use and what to emphasise about the story‘

Susan Woodford on the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

‘Sophilos filled the lower friezes with monsters and animals drawn rather carelessly’

‘liked the written word and made abundant use of it‘

John Boardman on the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

‘Sophilos' style is ambitious, lively but rarely precise‘

Susan Woodford on the Francois Vase

‘Kleitias was a master story-teller‘

‘Translates epic poetry into a visual image‘

‘Kleitias’ excellence revealed in the way he was able to give meaning to every element in his frieze‘

John Boardman on the Francois Vase

‘Kleitias draws much more detail than previous artists‘

‘when showing textiles he continually varies details‘

‘encourages observation of small differences in pose‘

Susan Woodford on Dionysus sailing in the Ocean

‘One of the most imaginative and haunting‘

‘The subtly calculated balance of forms… are unmatched in the whole of Greek art‘

John Boardman on Dionysus sailing in the ocean

‘His originality appears in many forms. He breaks Athenian conventionality by letting Dionysus sail across the whole inside of the cup.’

Robin Osborne on Dionysus sailing across the ocean (actually it was a slightly different cup but yh)

‘this was not to be admired but used‘

Susan Woodford on Achilles and Ajax playing dice

‘Exekias took care to adjust his drawing to the shape of the vessel’

‘delineated with the most exquisite detail‘

‘incision of extraordinary delicacy‘

John Pedley on Achilles and Ajax playing dice

‘seemingly peaceful, this scene is full of foreboding, ominous with pent up rage soon to be released‘

Susan Woodford on Dionysus and the Maenads

‘The painting is a decorative delight‘

John Boardman on Dionysus and the Maenads

‘composed with careful symmetry, never dulling the impression of movement‘

Robin Osborne on Dionysus and the Maenads

‘extreme simplicity of composition‘