The Painter of the Dresden Lekanis is the common name for a vase painter of the
Attic 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 ...
style, active around 580–570 BC. He emigrated to
Boeotia
Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its ...
and is in fact identical with the Boeotian Horse-bird Painter.
His conventional name is derived from his
name vase
In classical archaeology, a name vase is a specific "vase"In the study of ancient Greek pottery a "vase" is a general term covering all pottery shapes. whose painter's name is unknown but whose workshop style has been identified. The painter is co ...
, a ''
lekanis'' at
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
(Inv. ZV 1464). A typical feature of his works are animal friezes, especially with
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
s; their execution has been characterised by
John Boardman as a caricature of the figures by the
KX Painter. His works have been found not only in
Attica
Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...
, but also in
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
,
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
and
Ampurias (
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
).
The majority if his vases are made of a lighter-coloured clay, then usual for Attic vases, which explains his emigration to Boeotia, where such clay was in use. In Boeotia, his painting style became coarser, but his specific style with characteristic incisions and the use of additional colours leaves no doubt as to the identity of the painter. His production in Boeotia was much more extensive than previously in Athens. More than 60 vases by him are known, the majority are ''
alabastra''. He maintained his predilection for sirens. His works were apparently all discovered in Greece, predominantly in Boeotia.
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 ...
: ''Attic Black-figure Vase-painters'', Oxford 1956, p. 21-23. 680.
*John D. Beazley: ''Paralipomena. Additions to Attic Black-figure Vase-painters and to Attic Red-figure Vase-painters'', Oxford 1971, p. 14.
*
John Boardman: ''Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Ein Handbuch'', von Zabern, Mainz 1977 (
Kulturgeschichte der Antiken Welt, Vol 1) , p. 22.
*Karl Kilinski II: ''Boeotian black figure vase painting of the archaic period'', Mainz 1990, p. 7-13.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dresden Lekanis, Painter of
Ancient Greek vase painters