I want to share photos from my recent trip to the British Museum.
Pottery was a significant part of ancient Greek life. They’re also exquisite.
Fired reddish clay (known as terracotta) was mostly used to make post, cups and vases of a variety of shapes and sizes. They were used for everyday storage of wines, oils etc. but they were also used for special celebrations (and thus decorated with beautiful paintings). There is so few classical paintings from Ancient Greece that historians have had to rely on vase decorations to trace styles and techniques of the ancient world.
These were funerary vases - which served as markers over graves.
Bases would be pierced allowing libations to pour into the grave beneath it.
War-like figure scenes on some of these vases.
Two horses facing each other across a tripod with a goat above.
Athens about 735-700 BC.
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Corinthian Vase Painting
The original Corinthian Geometric vases (c. 900–725 BC) were dominated by geometric motifs, e.g. meanders, zigzags etc and imitated those of Athens. Humans and animals, if they appear, are highly stylised and reduced to simple geometric shapes.
Afterwards, the Protocorinthian Vases (c. 725–600 BC) became stylised by oriental motifs through trade with the East. Thus, the geometric patterns gave way to friezes of real and fantastical animals and elaborate floral motifs. This period is focal to the development of the black-figure technique of Greek vase painting.
I love this.
A deer hunt aryballos.
Pithos (wiki) is a storage jar with beautiful relief decoration.
May have been used for storage of oil.
Because of size, this jar was likely made in several sections before joined together before firing.
The British museum.
So many exquisite Black-figure vase paintings.
A black silhouetted figure against a reddish-orange background.
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An ancient Greek black-figure olpe.
An “olpe” is jug with a curved body and elongated neck.
The hunter bringing food & sustenance to the elderly family?
Accompanied by his dog.
Another black-figure olpe.
A black-figured oinochoe (jug).
Warrior and chariots.
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So beautiful.
This is a wine cooler (i.e. “
psykter”)
Vase with double walls: inner container cooled by ice cold water in the outer.
“Dionysos with satyr”
Made in Athens about 560-540 BC.
Wow.
So exquisite.
Lion with teeth showing.
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This is a Bronze figurine
A nude male youth.
So fascinating. I wonder where it used to sit.
Stunning.
Ancient Greek black-figure amphora.
Trojan war?
Black-figured lekythos
Showing Apollo - holding out his lyre.
So wonderful.
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Both graceful and horrific.
Someone being sacrificed on this black-figured amphora.
A sacrifice above, and layers beneath.
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Simply exquisite.
Terracotta figure of a woman or goddess.
Strange face but lovely hair over an impressive seat/throne.
Athens - ca. 530-500 BC.
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So charming.
Terracotta figurine of a horse and rider.
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A terracotta woman.
With such beautiful and ornate garments.
Boeotian.
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A Bronze Corinthian helmet
Bronze Corinthian helmet.
I know it’s not a vase painting - but wow.
It looks absolutely terrifying and so aesthetic.
Another one.
Delicately embellished too.
Almost like a crown.
An Athenian terracotta horse-rider.
Perhaps the toy of a child?
Horse was wonderfully rendered.
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Another terracotta horsemen.
Abstraction?
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Proof of Greeks in Egypt.
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