The Rider Painter was a Laconian vase painter active between 560 and 530 BC. He is considered one of the five great vase painters of Sparta. His name is unknown, but he is called the Rider Painter after the horseman depicted on his name vase at the British Museum. He painted various shapes, including '' lebetes'', a rare shape in Sparta, but predominantly '' kylikes''. He primarily produced for export, as indicated by the fact that one of his works has so far been discovered in

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

. His workshop cannot be located, but was perhaps in a '' perioikic'' settlement. Since identifiable painting styles and peculiarities in vase shapes tend to be consistent, it is assumed that the Rider Painter, like other Laconian vase painters, was both potter and painter. He is considered somewhat inferior in talent to the other four great Laconian vase painters. He mainly depicted scenes from Greek mythology, such as the blinding of Polyphemus, Kadmos or Herakles. Other motifs include scenes from everyday life, such '' komasts'' or the eponymous rider.

Bibliography

* John Boardman: ''Early Greek Vase Painting. 11th to 6th Century BC. A Handbook'', Thames and Hudson, London 1998 (World of Art), 188 * Thomas Mannack: ''Griechische Vasenmalerei. Eine Einführung''. Theiss, Stuttgart 2002, . {{Authority control Ancient Greek vase painters