Bilingual vase painting

The bilingual vase painting is a special form of Greek vase painting. Based on the philological example, this means bilingualism is called in classical archeology Attic vases that are painted in the black-figure as well as in the red-figure style, bilinguals. It also referred to the transitional period of the black-figure to red-figure vase painting in the last quarter of the 6th and less the beginning of the 5th century BC Other names are bilingual vases or simply bilinguals.

Almost Exclusively Bauchamphoren ( the so-called type A) and eye cups were used for painting bilinguals. In some cases, both sides of the amphorae show in different styles with the same subject ( as in an amphora of Andokides painter ). Eye cups usually have a schwarzfiguriges internal image and a red-figure outside of the shells. An exception is a shell of Andokides Painter in Palermo. Here the outside is decorated each half in two styles. In addition to the Andokides - painters are especially Psiax (especially in Bauchamphoren ) and Epictetus and Oltos ( eye cups ) are important. Most drawings are executed in both styles by the same artist. However, this is controversial, especially in the case of Andokides - painter whose schwarzfiguriges work of some artists are attributed to the Lysippides Painter, which in turn is identified by other researchers with the Andokides painter.