Boeotian vase painting

The geometric vase painting Boeotia was rather lifeless and rather provincial especially compared to leading pottery from Attica. Often the ceramic Attica was only imitated. Then stopped for an extended period of subgeometrische style, and it took some time until the Oriental- style prevailed. After the complainant had prevailed, floral and other ornaments were in high demand. It was with polychrome effects, attached red and white, experimenting and to a limited extent with figurative pictures (animals and humans). Influences came more from the works in Attica and Eastern Greece as from the actual center of the oriental style, Corinth.

From 6th BC to the 4th century BC black-figure vases were produced in Boeotia. Even in the early 6th century BC many Boeotian painters used the orientalising outline technique. After that, they are based very closely on Attic production. Sometimes a distinction and assignment to one of the two regions is difficult, also it can get confused with Corinthian pottery. Not infrequently Attic and Corinthian vases are inferior ceramic classified as Boeotian works. There was probably an exchange of craftsmen with Attica, at least once it is established that an Attic potter emigrated to Boeotia (horse - bird Painter, possibly the Tokra Painter, safe under the potters Teisias ). Most important motives are animal friezes, symposia and Komasten. Myths photos are rather rare; when they occur, usually Heracles or Theseus is shown. For the late 6th century and the 5th century a silhouette -like style is predominant. Be painted especially kantharoi, Lekaniden, bowls, plates and pitchers. Between 420 and 350 BC, the so-called Kabira vases of black-figure style in Boeotia were main. As in Athens, there are favorite inscriptions. Particularly like set Boeotian pottery plastic vessels ago, also kantharoi with plastic lugs and tripod pyxides. From Athens also Lekanis, shell and neck amphora be adopted. The painting style often has a comic effect, are shown preferred Komasten and satyrs.

The Boeotian red-figure vase painting in the style had its heyday in the second half of the 5th and the first decades of the 4th century BC The potters tried to imitate by a reddish coating Attic vases. This was necessary because the sound brighter Boeotia, about leather yellow, was. The varnish used is brown-black. The inscriptions were usually carved. The figures lack the plastic depth of the Attic models. In addition, there is no real development in the Boeotian painting, there were simply attempts to copy the Attic forms of representation. The most important artists were the painter of the Paris - judgment, which was based mainly on Polygnotos and the Lycaon - painter, the painter of Athens Argosschale, reminiscent of the Shuvalov Painter and the Marlay Painter, as well as the painter of the great Athenian cantharos. The latter is the Attic Dinos Painter so close that it may have been trained by it.