The Priam Painter was a vase painter in the black-figure technique, active 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 ...

during the late 6th century BC. He is considered one of the more skilled, and more productive, painters of his time. Some scholars have such a high opinion of him that they draw a connection with the

Antimenes Painter The Antimenes Painter was an Attic vase painter of the black-figure style, active between circa 530 and 510 BC. The real name of the Antimenes Painter is not known; his current name is an archaeological convention, derived from the Kalos ins ...

of the Leagros Group. His range of subjects is rather limited, but his execution is highly detailed, imaginative and indicates great compositional skill. His most frequent motifs are

chariot race Chariot racing ( grc-gre, ἁρματοδρομία, harmatodromia, la, ludi circenses) was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games from ...

s in the presence of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

and

Herakles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

, as well as scenes set at public fountains. These choices have been interpreted as indicating support of the

Peisistratid Pisistratus or Peisistratus ( grc-gre, Πεισίστρατος ; 600 – 527 BC) was a politician in ancient Athens, ruling as tyrant in the late 560s, the early 550s and from 546 BC until his death. His unification of Attica, the triangular ...

dynasty – as that ruling family identified especially with Athena and had constructed a number of fountain houses in the city. According to that interpretation, the vases must have been produced shortly before the Peisistratids were driven from Athens in 510 BC. Stylistically, the Priam Painter is close to the Rycroft Painter.

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 U ...

: ''Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters.'' Oxford 1956 * John Beazley: ''Paralipomena. Additions to Attic black-figure vase-painters and to Attic red-figure vase-painters''. Oxford 1971. * John Boardman: ''Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Ein Handbuch.'' Mainz 1977, , S. 123f. {{Authority control Ancient Greek vase painters