Niobid Painter

The Niobid Painter was an ancient Athenian potter in the red figure style, named after a krater which on one side shows the god Apollo and his sister Artemis killing the children of Niobe who were collectively called the Niobids. There is some confusion as to what is being depicted on the opposite side as none of the figures are labeled. However, it is generally accepted that it is either the gathering of the Argonauts or the Seven Against Thebes, though neither is certain. This painter was influenced by Polygnotos of Thasos, and may also have used artistic elements he saw in frescoes painted by Micon of Athens, which decorated the walls of the Stoa Poikile. The krater is now housed at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It is 54cm in height and 56cm in diameter. The artwork has used the red figure style technique, the style was developed around 530BC. The artist has attempted to create a three dimensional space, by outlining the foreground, middleground and background. The three-dimensional goal was not successfully completed, but the effort is easily seen. The shapes are easily depicted by the different colours used and the amount of detail which has been applied. The pot shows that the greek culture had a lot of mythological beliefs and stories back in the classical period. It shows Greeks fighting amazons, centaurs and Trojans. These larger paintings are symbolic of Athenian leadership.