Figure It Out Past Times Elisabeth Storrs

Figure It Out Past Times Elisabeth Storrs - Have yous ever thrown a vase? Not inward anger simply on a potter’s wheel? One of my protagonists inward the Tales of Ancient Rome saga does both. In imagining her story, I realised I had a occupation - I could ever sense smashing a plate, simply I had no thought how to fashion ceramics. 

Figure It Out Past Times Elisabeth Storrs

Adokides Painter- Bilingual Amphora 

Once I started researching, I found myself delving deeper into the methods used inward Hellenic Republic in addition to Etruria to reach both mundane in addition to exquisite pottery.  

The earliest agency of producing ceramics was yesteryear working clay yesteryear manus through either coiling strips or pinching a hollow to shape a vessel. The poorer classes would convey made their ain pots inward this way until inexpensive earthenware was majority produced yesteryear using moulds.

The potter’s cycle was believed to convey been introduced inward Mesopotamia inward 6000 BCE in addition to was speedily adopted throughout the ancient world. By the Classical historic catamenia (C5th BCE), the innovation consisted of a turning platform most a metre inward a higher house the flooring connected yesteryear a long axle amongst a heavy flywheel at basis level. This was kept rotating yesteryear kicking the wing cycle amongst the human foot which left both hands complimentary to shape the clay.

Bucchero ware 

The mechanics of throwing a pot was non all I learned. There was chemistry, too.  Etruscans were famous for their thin-walled, glossy dark pottery known every bit ‘bucchero’ which could live decorated amongst elaborate designs applied to the semi-hard clay using stamps. The dark coloring of bucchero was achieved yesteryear ‘reduction’ i.e. establishing a really high temperature inside the kiln so closing the vents to trim back the oxygen rather than the heat. When the atmosphere was charged amongst carbon monoxide, the ruby-red of the clay converted to dark due the presence of Fe oxide. Indeed, the clay of the Etruscan regions of Italy was rich inward Fe which helped this process.

The Etruscans were famous for high character bucchero ware in addition to terra cotta sculptures which were exported throughout the Mediterranean. They were also enormously fond of Attic vases. Some Etruscan grave sites were riddled amongst thousands of vessels depicting mythological tales inward beautiful tracery upon either a dark or ruby-red background. Many were imported from Hellenic Republic or created yesteryear Etruscan craftsmen who were heavily influenced yesteryear Greek immigrant artisans.

There were 2 Attic vase techniques: the dark figure Corinthian method originating inward the C7th BCE followed yesteryear the to a greater extent than sophisticated ruby-red figure Athenian style. 

Black figure kylix - Amasias Painter 

Potters who created dark figure vases painted characters inward dark silhouette on the surface using a liquid known every bit ‘slip’. Fine lines were incised into the surface to render contour in addition to detail. White pigment was applied to stand upwardly for women’s skin. Both white in addition to ruby-red were used to highlight details such clothing, pilus or weapons. The pots were so subjected to a complicated three-phase firing procedure which involved varying the temperatures inside the kiln at dissimilar stages to effectively apply the oxidisation process. This generated the ruby-red coloring of the underlying surface, in addition to the glossy dark of the figures who were ever shown inward profile.

Over fourth dimension the Etruscans moved away from the Corinthian fashion to purpose the ‘pseudo ruby-red figure’ technique that involved icon the clay dark earlier adding ruby-red silhouettes in addition to scratching lines to accomplish definition. They also produced their ain distinctive pottery fashion amongst figures painted ruby-red on white.

Red figure stamnos - Menelaos Painter 

In contrast, ‘true’ ruby-red figure vases were produced yesteryear applying a technique commencement used inward Athens about 530 BCE. Here, the figures were created inward the master copy red-orange of the clay using a fine brush. This allowed for greater special because lines could live drawn rather than incised. As a result, the painted scenes were to a greater extent than detailed in addition to realistic. It also allowed artists the chance to operate amongst greater perspective yesteryear depicting front, dorsum in addition to three-quarter views, thus producing a iii dimensional effect. 

Black in addition to ruby-red figure icon gave rising to a seat out of identifiable potters in addition to artists. Some are known yesteryear their actual names due to the fact they engraved their signatures on the bottom of the pots e.g. Exekias. Others stay anonymous simply their styles are clearly identifiable resulting inward historians attributing them amongst soubriquets e.g. the 'Andokides Painter'.

Exekias was a potter in addition to painter who lived inward Athens betwixt roughly 545-530 BCE. He is considered i of the greatest Attic vase painters, specialising inward dark figure ceramics. He was innovative, experimenting amongst novel shapes in addition to icon techniques. Fourteen signed industrial plant yesteryear Exekias live amongst many others identified due to his stylistic method. The signatures vary from ‘Exekias made me’ to ‘Exekias made in addition to painted me’ which has given rising to a theory he alone acknowledged decorating those pieces of which he was especially proud. 

'Exekias made me' 

One of Exekias’ most famous industrial plant is the so-called ‘Dionysus Cup’, which I saw inward the Munich Antikensammlung inward 2016. It depicts the tale of the pirates who attacked the wine-god on a body of body of water journeying to Athens. Dionysus caused vines to entwine the mast, causing his frightened assailants to dive overboard, whereupon they were transformed into dolphins. Instead of portraying the deity at the peak of the conflict amongst his kidnappers, Exekias shows Dionysus reclining at a feast amongst the dolphins cavorting about him. The scene exudes a sense of peacefulness in addition to poetry. Exekias has given the ‘wine coloured’ body of body of water a vivid coral ruby-red shade yesteryear using a special clay sideslip that turned vivid ruby-red when fired. This was the commencement fourth dimension the technique was introduced. In Attic times, his composition was revolutionary. Today the loving cup is i of the most famous Greek vases. 

The Dionysus Cup- Exekias 

The Andokides Painter is believed to live a pupil of Exekias. He is also considered to live the ‘inventor’ of the ruby-red figure method. His fashion has been attributed to diverse pieces fifty-fifty though most remained unsigned. Academics convey dubbed him the ‘Andokides Painter’ based on the signature ‘Andokides’ that appeared on xvi pieces inside the collection. One of the most famous vases signed yesteryear Andokides is the Herakles bilingual amphora found inward the Etruscan urban nub of Vulci. Bilingual vases are of import bear witness of the transition betwixt ruby-red in addition to dark figure techniques. They describe the same dependent area inward the 2 dissimilar styles on contrary sides of i vessel. There is ground every bit to whether both sides of the Herakles Amphora were painted yesteryear the i painter or whether the dark figured side was rendered yesteryear the Lysippides Painter, some other pupil of Panduan Cara Bermain Ceme Exekias.

No affair what Attic technique is used, I never neglect to live delighted yesteryear the scenes in addition to characters depicted upon the surfaces of plates, cups, jugs in addition to vases: a mythological narrative most gods, mortals in addition to monsters locked forever inside kiln hardened clay.