Pottery

Ancient Greek pots represent some of the only ancient Greek painting to survive.

c. 900–146 B.C.E.

Beginner's Guide

What is Ancient Greek pottery?

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The Chigi Painter, The Chigi Vase
The Chigi Painter, The Chigi Vase

Discovered in an ancient Etruscan tomb, the style of this vase suggests it was created hundreds of miles away, in Corinth, Greece.

The François Vase: story book of Greek mythology
The François Vase: story book of Greek mythology

Zeus, Hera, and more than 100 gods, heroes, and monsters enact ancient Greek mythology on the surface of this vase.

Euphronios, <em>Sarpedon Krater</em>
Euphronios, Sarpedon Krater

Gods carry away the dead on a pot looted from a tomb, trafficked out of Italy, bought by the Met, and finally returned.

Terracotta Krater
Terracotta Krater

This pot stood above a grave, and the female mourners depicted on it tear out their hair in grief.

Sophilos: a new direction in Greek pottery
Sophilos: a new direction in Greek pottery

Through interactions with other Mediterranean cultures, ancient Greek potters developed new techniques.

Greek Vase-Painting, an introduction
Greek Vase-Painting, an introduction

Greek potters developed a remarkable variety of shapes, sizes, and styles that offer insights into ancient culture.

<em>Eleusis Amphora</em>
Eleusis Amphora

This ancient pot depicts not one, but two myths: Perseus slaying Medusa and Odysseus blinding the cyclops.

Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique
Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique

From heroes and gods to everyday life, ancient Greek pottery depicted a variety of subjects.

Making Greek vases
Making Greek vases

How did ancient Greek potters make and decorate their pottery?

<em>Niobid Krater</em>
Niobid Krater

The gods Apollo and Artemis exact revenge for their mother, in an early attempt at showing depth in ancient Greek art.

<em>Dipylon Amphora</em>
Dipylon Amphora

As tall as a person, this pot is covered with geometric patterns and early figural representations.

Exekias, <em>Dionysos Kylix</em>
Exekias, Dionysos Kylix

This cup depicts the god of wine Dionysos escaping pirates by hiding and turning them into dolphins.

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