Achilles painter Lekythos

 NAME: Achilles painter Lekythos  MADE: BC  SIZE: 38cm  POTTER: not known  PAINTER: The Achilles painter  WE DON’T KNOW THE ACTUAL PAINTERS NAME, because he never signed his work, he was a student of the Berlin painter, many other white ground techniques are attributed to the Achilles painter.

SHAPE  VASE SHAPE: Lekythos  USE: for funeral settings where oil is stored and perfume  WHY IS IT DIFFERENT TO OTHER LEKYTHOS? This Lekythos is unique in terms of its shape, the belly is thinner than other Lekythos

 WHY IS THIS VASE SHAPE PERFECT FOR ITS USE? This vase shape is perfect for oil because it takes up little space and fills the vases belly

INSCRIPTIONS

 WHAT TYPE OF INSCRIPTION IS THIS? It is grafitti, a Kalos inscription  WHAT DOES IT SAY? Axiophates, the son of Alkimachos, is handsome  WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE INSCRIPTION AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE SCENE? It was just a common way of graffiti with no relation to the scene or use.

THE SCENE A Non-funerary scene, of a Woman and her Maidservant. Most likely visiting a tomb ???  ON THE SHOLDER: A schematic Palmette pattern  TOP OF BELLY: above the scene is the Stopped Meander border.  FROM LEFT: Maid servant holding grey painted casket  TO RIGHT: Woman directing her servant

MAIDSERVANT Located left on the vase, standing in profile  Holding a grey casket and offering it to her mistress  The servants hair is styled the same way as her mistress.  Clothing- Tunic has disappeared, the glazed outline is what is left. It looks like she's wearing a transparent dress.  Her face is elegant and calm, reflective of her mistress.

WOMAN Located to the right of the vase, stands with feet frontal but looking at the maidservant (foreshortening)  Directing her maid with a raised right hand.  Hair is curled on top with a few curls on her forehead.  She is wearing a Yellow Chiton and reddish- brown Himation over the top.  Her face is Calm and elegant, expressionless.

PAINTING TECHNIQUE White Ground. A majority of this technique was Used for funerary vases.  INFLUENCE: Athenian potters experimenting with natural red clay that turned white when burned and were limited to funerary uses only.  Kaolin, the white slip painted over the clay  The outline of the figures was painted in honey colored dilute before firing  Brighter colors that were used on clothing was added after the firing, therefore it wasn’t very durable hence the disappearance of the servant maids Chiton.  COLORS: Mauve, green, pink

PAINTING STYLE  BORDERS: Stopped Meander(above scene) and Schematic Palmette chain, Tongue pattern  EYES: are in profile, looking where their heads are turned.  NECK: they have long necks  GESTURES: they make few gestures with hands, woman directing maid offering.  FACES: are elegant with long noses, faces are sculptured.  FIGURES: appear more realistic and slender as a woman should look.  INSPIRATION: They appear godlike and removed from the human world, their own kind.  FORESHORTENING: feet frontal  DRAPERY: is very plain besides the bold colors of the womans clothing, less detailed

COMPARISON  SHAPE: Similar although the other vase has a handle at the base of the shoulder and the Lekythos doesn’t. The Lekythos also has a thinner shape.  INSCRIPTIONS: Similar in a rectangle format above the central scene, also a Kalos- love inscription with no relation to the scene  SCENE: Of two woman on one vase, doing different duties. Playing music or serving a mistress.  PAINTING TECH: White Ground and red figure. Same borders the stopped Meander and Palmette Chain and Tongue pattern  STYLE: Profile, realistic, props in the background bird or Lekythos and mantle on the wall to demonstrate that the scene in the Lekythos is indoors.  OTHER DETAILS: These characteristics are how painters are identified by the similarities especially seen in funerary Lekythoi vases.