A Closer Look At Greek Pottery

Considered to be some of the most iconic pieces of pottery, the Attic and Apulian vases now come to auction. At first glance, they can be mistaken for one another, yet each tells a very different story. Here, we will look at the differences they hold and what they reveal about the people who created them, and what life was like in each culture.

In Athens, pottery was made for everyday use. Functionality was at the forefront: cups were made for drinking, kraters for mixing wine, and amphorae for storage. Designs and patterns reflected social status and identity, establishing visual codes for where you stood in society.

The black-figure technique, first developed in the mid-7th century BC and flourishing in the 6th, relied on a glossy slip that turned black once fired. Artists incised details into the surface, exposing the clay beneath and creating bold, high-contrast compositions.

Early painters such as the Nessos Painter and the Gorgon Painter explored mythological narratives. Meanwhile, Sophilos and Kleitias, in the celebrated François Vase (c. 570 BC), expanded the format to cover entire vessels with organised story-telling depictions. The technique reached its peak with Exekias (c. 540–530 BC), whose amphora showing Achilles and Ajax playing dice captures a quiet yet powerful moment, provoking depth of emotion through compositional refinement.

Recurring subjects reflected Athenian values. Heracles stood as the hero who embodied excellence, protection, and order. Dionysian imagery satyrs, maenads, and scenes of revelry mirrored both religion and social significance.

Lot 833 - Attic Black-Figure Lekythos With Dancing Maenads

discovery that preserving the red clay allowed painters to achieve greater detail using the brush. This breakthrough gave artists more control and freedom, enabling them to create dynamic scenes filled with movement and flowing drapery.

The Pioneer Group, Euphronios, Euthymides and Phintias, fully exploited the possibilities of this method, experimenting with foreshortening and bold, dynamic poses. Thematically, Heracles gradually gave way to Theseus, the civic hero whose exploits resonated deeply with democratic Athens. At the same time, Dionysian figures gained a wider range of motion and expression.

Within this evolving tradition, Douris (active c. 500–460 BC) emerged as a leading innovator. Specialising in kylikes, he refined the tondo, the circular space inside the cup, as a stage for intimate narrative. His draughtsmanship, known for its fine linearity and compositional balance, conveyed psychological depth even in compact scenes.

Douris excelled in both mythological subjects and everyday depictions, including school lessons, symposia and athletics, offering invaluable insights into Athenian culture. Alongside the Brygos Painter and Makron, his work set new standards for the expressive range of red-figure pottery, helping establish it as the defining style of Classical Athens.

Lot 828 - Attic Red-Figure Kylix With Oracle Scene From The Circle Of Douris

Greek settlers brought their artistic influence to South Italy, and Taras (modern Taranto), the principal colonial centre, became a hub of cultural exchange. Greek artisans worked closely with the local aristocracy, who were eager for prestigious symbols of identity. Funerary ritual played a central role in Apulian society, with lavish tombs reflecting both social status and beliefs about the afterlife.

From the late 5th to the 3rd centuries BC, Apulian workshops transformed the Attic red-figure tradition into a visual language rooted in funerary culture. Produced mainly in Taras, monumental vases such as kraters, amphorae, loutrophoroi, and hydriai were not intended for the symposium, but for tombs, serving as powerful markers of identity and remembrance.

The iconography diverged from Attic precedents, moving away from civic heroes and social gatherings to imagery centred on death and the afterlife. Naiskos scenes, depicting a tomb-shrine flanked by mourners, reflected contemporary funerary practice, while elaborate underworld compositions featuring Hades, Persephone, and Orpheus represented beliefs about the soul’s journey. Dionysian motifs reinforced ideas of rebirth and ecstatic liberation, extending their meaning into the funerary realm.

The Varrese Painter (c. 360–320 BC) became renowned for monumental funerary scenes. His vases often show the deceased enthroned within a naiskos, attended by family or companions, a composition that monumentalises commemoration and visualises the passage from mortal existence to heroic memory.

Later, the Painter of Lecce 660, active in the late 4th century BC, created processional scenes of offerers approaching winged divinities. His hovering figures convey mediation and protection, embodying the liminal space between humans and the divine.

Through these innovations, Apulian red-figure pottery emerged as a distinct South Italian art of memory, negotiating death while affirming social values and spiritual continuity.

Lot 823 - Stunning Apulian Calyx Krater With Funerary Scene By The Varrese Painter

Greek pottery, whether from Athens or Apulia, was never merely decorative. In Athens, the shift from black-figure to red-figure reflected both technical innovation and cultural change, moving from the incised precision of Heracles and Dionysian revelry to the painted naturalism of Theseus and everyday life, mirroring the rise of democracy and civic identity.

In South Italy, Apulian red-figure took the same techniques and transformed them into a language of memory. Monumental vases, naiskos scenes, underworld journeys, Dionysian thiasoi, tragic myths, and idealised female portraits became visual markers of identity, mourning, and the passage from life to the afterlife.

Together, Attic and Apulian pottery reveal how a single artistic tradition could diverge to meet the deepest needs of different societies. In Athens, vases celebrated civic pride, myth, and the rhythm of daily life. In Apulia, they commemorated the dead, affirmed social values, and navigated spiritual continuity. Each vessel, whether raised in a toast or placed in a tomb, carries the stories, beliefs, and aspirations of the people who made it, offering us a vivid window into the ancient world.

For more information on the upcoming auction visit : https://auction.apolloauctions.com/auctions/5-1ZWWSD/day-2-fine-ancient-art-antiquities-prince-collection where you can find these examples for sale. Place your bid today!