Lip-Cup sexual intercourse Ialysos black background

Little-master cups are a type of

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a ''loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

black-figure Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...

cups, produced around the middle and third quarter of the sixth century BC. Their name is based on their fine small-format decoration. Little-master cups are later in origin than Siana cups, but both types were produced over a considerable period of time. The Little masters painted only the small upper frieze above the carination of the cup, at times also the lip or handle areas. It is probably that only few of the painters of Siana cups also painted Little-master cups. One of the first artists to introduce the Little-master cup in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

was Kleitias. The change in decoration went along with a lengthening of the cup foot. The dedicated painters of Little-master cups rarely painted larger formas, whereas painters primarily specialised in large vases are known to also have painted Little-master cups. Stylistic comparison between larger and smaller formats of the period remains difficult. Many Little-master cups are signed (especially

lip cup Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek Attic Little-master cups. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in Athens. They resemble Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly distinguished from the rest of the body. ...

s), as the signature was often incorporated in the overall decor. The signatures are mostly by potters, probably because the potting was often of higher quality than the painting.

Types as well as related shapes and derivatives

Several types of Little-master cups are known *

Band cup Band cups are a form of ancient Greek Attic Little-master cups. The lip of a band cup is black and slightly concave. At the joint between vase body and foot, there is often a red ring. The external figural decoration is in the area of the handles ...

s * Droop cups * Gordion cups * Kassel cups *

Lip cup Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek Attic Little-master cups. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in Athens. They resemble Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly distinguished from the rest of the body. ...

s * Band ''skyphoi''

Gallery

Image:Band cup Louvre F72.jpg, Band cup by an unknown Attic artist, circa 540 BC.

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

Image:Droop cup Louvre CA2512.jpg, Droop Cup by an unknown Attic artist, ''circa'' 550–30 BC. Louvre Image:Kassel cup Louvre E673.jpg, Kassel Cup by an unknown Attic artist, ''circa'' 540 BC. Louvre

Bibliography

John Beazley Sir John Davidson Beazley, (; 13 September 1885 – 6 May 1970) was a British classical archaeologist and art historian, known for his classification of Attic vases by artistic style. He was Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at the Un ...

: ''Little-master Cups'', in: Journal of Hellenic Studies 52 (1932) p. 167-204. * John D. Beazley: ''Attic Black-figure Vase-Painting'', Oxford 1956, p. 159-197. * Dieter Metzler: ''Eine attische Kleinmeisterschale mit Töpferszenen in Karlsruhe'', in: Archäologischer Anzeiger (1969) p. 138-152. * John D. Beazley: ''Paralipomena. Additions to Attic black-figure vase-painters and to Attic red-figure vase-painters'', Oxford 1971, p. 67-80. * Joan Tarlow Haldenstein: ''Little master cups. Studies in 6th century Attic black-figure vase painting'', Dissertation University of Cincinnati 1975. * Heide Mommsen: ''Kleinmeister-Schalen'', in: Der Neue Pauly Vol. 6, 1999, Col. 563 * Rudolf Wachter: ''Drinking inscriptions on Attic little-master cups. A catalogue (AVI 3)'', in: Kadmos 42 (2003) p. 141-189. * Peter Heesen: ''Drinking inscriptions on Attic little-master cups. Does size matter? A contribution to the AVI Project'', in: Museum Helveticum 63 (2006) p. 44-62. {{Greek drinking cups Ancient Greek pot shapes Ancient Greek vase-painting styles