Typology of Greek Vase Shapes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pottery in Greece has a long history and the form of Greek Vase Shapes has had a continuous evolution from the Minoan period down to the Hellenistic era. As Gisela Richter puts it the forms of these vases find their “happiest expression” in the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, yet it has been possible to date vases thanks to the variation in a form’s shape over time. A fact particularly useful when dating unpainted or glazed black-ware.
The task of naming Greek vase shapes is by no means a straightforward one. The endeavour by archaeologists to match vase forms with those names that have come down to us from Greek literature began with Panofka’s 1829 book Recherches sur les veritables noms des vases grecs, his confident assertion that he had rediscovered the ancient nomenclature was quickly disputed by Gerhard and Letronne. A few surviving vases were labelled with their names in antiquity, these included a hydria depicted on the François Vase and a kylix that declares “I am the decorated kylix of lovely Phito” (BM, B450), amongst others. Also some vases are shown in use within vase paintings, this is some help in judging the descriptions of them. However much of our written information about Greek pots comes from late writers, Athenaios, Pollux and other lexicographers who described vases unknown to them and as such are often contradictory and confused. With those caveats the names of Greek vases are fairly well settled even if such names are a matter of convention rather than historical fact.
The following vases are mostly Attic, from the 5th and 6th centuries, and follow the Beazley naming convention.
| _ | Foot | Lip |
|---|---|---|
| _ |
 |
|
| _ |
|
|
| _ | _ |
|
| _ | _ |
|
[edit] Vase shapes
 Amphora type A, c. 520 BC. |
 Amphora type B. |
 Amphora type C. |
|
 Neck Amphora, c. 520 BC. |
 Ovoid neck amphora |
 Nikosthenic amphora, c. 530 BC. |
 Nolan amphora |
 Pseudo-panathenaic amphora, c. 500 BC. |
 Pointed amphora |
 Transport amphorae |
|
 Amphoriskos |
 Piriform Aryballos |
 Globular aryballos |
 Askos |
 Band cup |
 Droop cup |
 Eye-cup |
 Kassel cup |
 Komast cup |
 Lakonian cup |
 Lip-cup |
 Siana cup |
 Dinos |
 Epichysis |
 Exaleiptron |
|
 Glaux skyphos |
 Hydria-black figure type |
 Hydria-red figure type or Kalpis |
 Kantharos type B |
 Kantharos type D |
 Kernos |
 Kothon |
 Bell Krater, c 330 BC. |
 Calyx-Krater, c. 510 BC. |
 Column Krater |
 Volute Krater |
 Kyathos |
 Kylix type A |
 Kylix type B |
 Lagynos |
|
 Lekane |
 Lekanis |
 Acorn lekythos |
 Deianeira lekythos, c. 550 BC. |
 Shoulder or secondary lekythos, c. 500 BC. |
 Standard or cylinder lekythos c.490 BCE. |
 Squat lekythos |
 Loutrophoros |
 Lydion |
 Mastos |
 Nestoris |
 Oinochoe Shape 1 |
 Oinochoe Shape 2 |
 Oinochoe Shape 3 |
 Oinochoe Shape 7 |
 Olpe |
 Pinax (plaque) |
 Phiale |
||
 Phormiskos (here a terracotta model) |
 Plate |
 Plemochoe |
|
 Pyxis, c. 470 BC. |
 Pointed pyxis |
 Rhyton, c. 430 BCE. |
 Skyphos, c. 740 BC |
 Hermogenes skyphos |
 Stamnos, c. 480–470 BC. |
 Strainer vase |
[edit] References
- Gisela M. A. Richter, Marjorie J. Milne, Shapes and Names of Athenian Vases, Metropolitan Museum of art, New York, 1935.
[edit] External links
| Pottery of ancient Greece | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wine Shapes | Krater • Kylix • Oinochoe • Skyphos • Psykter • Kyathos • Rhyton • Kantharos | |
| Perfume Shapes and Wedding Shapes | Lebes Gamikos • Loutrophoros • Epinetron • Alabastron • Aryballos • Lekythos | |
| Funerary Shapes and Cultic Shapes | Lekythos • Loutrophoros • Phiale | |
| Storage Shapes | Amphora • Hydria • Lebes • Pithos • Stamnos • Pyxis | |
| Techniques | Red-figure • Black-figure • Bilingual pottery • Six's technique • White ground | |
| Painters | List of Greek Vase Painters• Amasis Painter • Exekias • Pioneer Group • Douris | |
| Special Topics in Greek Pottery | Typology • Kalos inscription • Symposium • Kerameikon • Corpus vasorum antiquorum • John Beazley • Panathenaic Amphorae | |
