Nikosthenes

Nikosthenes was a potter, the BC ran a workshop in Athens to 545-510. The signature Nikosthenes epoíesen - Nikosthenes has made ​​the most traditional potters signature from antiquity ever. It was found previously on 139 black and 10 red-figure painted vessels. Of particular importance were the Nikosthenischen amphorae that mimicked the Etruscan bucchero form. Only about 130 of them are handed down. Most are made ​​of Nikosthenes, although a few are signed by him, but only attributable to his workshop. The painting was done in large part by a single painter. It is unclear whether this was also Nikosthenes. Called this painter painter painter Nikosthenes or N. It is not identical with the Nikosthenes painter. The remaining vessels were painted by various other artists. A few objects with his signature must be attributed to both other painters as well as other potters.

As a potter Nikosthenes created especially smaller vessels, but was always on the search for new forms in the form and not locked thereby also ausserattischen impressions. The search for new things did not end in the form, even when painting techniques Nikosthenes was always in search of innovation. So he turned about the Six - technique ( figures in red-brown or white color on glossy slip ). As a potter, he worked with many, frequently changing painters, including Lydos, Oltos, Epictetus and the Nikosthenes painter. All these painters worked for Pamphaios, a younger colleague of Nikosthenes, who also took various forms of this. Many of these unsigned imitations are now difficult to distinguish from the works of Nikosthenes. Nikosthenes employed in addition to the painters already mentioned, further known artists, including the BMN - painters and other artists of the Bellerophon class.

Nikosthenes ' amphorae were nearly all exported to Cerveteri, the remaining especially after Vulci. Outside Etruria there were almost none of the works of the potter. The Bucchero the ceramic imitative works were mainly found in Caere. It is interesting that, Nikosthenes reveals a special business sense here. On the one hand he seems to be guided by the requirements of the major Etruscan export market, on the other hand, he adds there the different cities according to its different flavors.