Typology Of Greek Vase Shapes

The pottery of ancient Greece has a long history and the form of Greek vase shapes has had a continuous evolution from Minoan pottery down to the Hellenistic period. As Gisela Richter puts it, the forms of these vases find their "happiest expression" in the 5th and 6th centuries BC, yet it has been possible to date vases thanks to the variation in a form’s shape over time, a fact particularly useful when dating unpainted or plain black-gloss ware.

The task of naming Greek vase shapes is by no means a straightforward one (by convention the term "vase" has a very broad meaning in the field, covering anything that is a vessel of some sort). The endeavour by archaeologists to match vase forms with those names that have come down to us from Greek literature began with Theodor Panofka’s 1829 book ''Recherches sur les veritables noms des vases grecs'', whose confident assertion that he had rediscovered the ancient nomenclature was quickly disputed by Gerhard and Letronne.

A few surviving vases were labelled with their names in antiquity; these included a hydria depicted on the François Vase and a kylix that declares, “I am the decorated kylix of lovely Phito” (BM, B450). Vases in use are sometimes depicted in paintings on vases, which can help scholars interpret written descriptions. Much of our written information about Greek pots come from such late writers as Athenaios and Pollux and other lexicographers who described vases unknown to them, and their accounts are often contradictory or confused. With those caveats, the names of Greek vases are fairly well settled, even if such names are a matter of convention rather than historical fact.

The following vases are mostly Attic, from the 5th and 6th centuries, and follow the Beazley naming convention. Many shapes derive from metal vessels, especially in silver, which survive in far smaller numbers. Some pottery vases were probably intended as cheaper substitutes for these, either for use or to be placed as grave goods. Some terms, especially among the types of kylix or drinking cup, combine a shape and a type or location of decoration, as in the band cup, eye cup and others. Some terms are defined by function as much as shape, such as the aryballos, which later potters turned into all sorts of fancy novelty shapes.

Overview

Greek pottery may be divided into four broad categories, given here with common types:
* storage and transport vessels, including the amphora, pithos, pelike, hydria, stamnos, pyxis,
* mixing vessels, mainly for ''symposia'' or male drinking parties, including the krater, dinos, and kyathos,
* jugs and cups, several types of kylix also just called cups, kantharos, phiale, skyphos, rhyton, mastos, and jug-types oinochoe and loutrophoros,
* vases for oils, perfumes and cosmetics, including the large lekythos, and the small aryballos, alabastron, and askos.

In addition, various standard types might be used as external grave-markers (in extra-large versions, sometimes in stone), funerary urns containing ashes, or as grave goods. Several types of vase, especially the taller ones, could be made in "plastic" forms (also called "figure vases" or "relief vases") where the body was shaped sculpturally (somewhat in the manner of the modern Toby jug), typically to form a human head.

Vase shapes

Image:Athena Herakles Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2301 B full.jpg, Amphora type A, c. 520 BC.
Image:Amphora_Louvre_F12.jpg, Amphora type B.
Image:Warrior departure Louvre F22.jpg, Amphora type C.
Image:Greek_vase_Dionysos_attica_520_bC.jpg, Neck amphora, c. 520 BC.
File:Exekias - Black-figure Belly Amphora with the Reclamation of Helen and Herakles and Kerberos - Walters 4816 - Side B.jpg, Belly amphora, with hardly a distinct neck
Image:Pederastic courtship Louvre F20.jpg, Ovoid neck amphora
Image:Nikosthenic amphora Louvre F99.jpg, Nikosthenic amphora, c. 530 BC.
Image:Neck-amphora swordsman Louvre G216.jpg, Nolan amphora
Image:Panathenaic_amphora_BM_B137.jpg, Panathenaic amphora, always large
Image:Chariot_terma_Staatliche_Antikensammlungen_1452.jpg, Pseudo-panathenaic amphora, c. 500 BC.
Image:Pointed amphora Louvre G30.jpg, Pointed amphora
Image:Amphorae.jpg, Transport amphorae
Image:Hydria Louvre F43.jpg, Hydria-black figure type
Image:Hydria_Python_Louvre_K287.jpg, Hydria-red figure type or Kalpis
Image:Women bath Asteas Lebes gamikos MAN Inv11445 n1.jpg, Lebes Gamikos, for weddings, c. 340 BC
Image:Pelike woman youth BM F316.jpg, Pelike
Image:Pithos_Louvre_CA4523.jpg, Pithos
Image:Odysseus Sirens BM E440.jpg, Stamnos, c. 480–470 BC.


Image:Dinos animals Louvre Cp11243.jpg, Dinos
Image:Crater_Orestes_Pylades_Louvre_K404.jpg, Bell krater, c 330 BC.
Image:Calyx-krater Kerch Louvre CA1262.jpg, Calyx-krater, c. 510 BC.
Image:Phineus Boreads Louvre G364.jpg, Column krater
Image:Crater_Actaeon_Louvre_CA3482.jpg, Volute krater
Image:Kyathos Dionysos Louvre CA3309.jpg, Kyathos
Image:Psykter warrior Louvre F319.jpg, Psykter


Image:Kantharos sphinxes Louvre CA1339.jpg, Kantharos type A
Image:Kantharos_Boeotia_Louvre_CA6121.jpg, Kantharos type B
Image:Type A kylix MOS 1983 1157.JPG, Kylix type A
Image:Triptolemos Painter MOS 1887 213.JPG, Kylix type B
Image:Band cup Louvre F75.jpg, Band cup, with the main painting in a band low on the body. All these "cups" are covered by kylix
Image:Droop_cup_Louvre_CA2512.jpg, Droop cup
Image:Eye-cup kantharos Louvre F144.jpg, Eye-cup, painted with eyes
Image:Kassel_cup_Louvre_E673.jpg, Kassel cup
Image:Komast_cup_Louvre_E742.jpg, Komast cup, Athenian black-figure, with short stem, angled "offset" lip.
Image:Lakonian cup BM GR 1968.2-13.1.jpg, Lakonian cup
File:Lip-Cup sexual intercourse Ialysos black background.jpg, Lip cup, with the main painting just below the lip; the stem and footr are lost in this example
Image:Siana_cup_Louvre_F67.jpg, Siana cup, Similar to Komast, with slightly longer stem, and painted on the inside.Beazley, Cups
/ref>
File:Merrythought Cup Antikensammlung Berlin.jpg, Merrythought cup, with distinctive "wishbone" handles
Image:Mastos riders Louvre E740.jpg, Mastos, breast-shaped cup with pointed nipple base; handles optional
Image:Peleus Thetis Cdm Paris 349.jpg, Mastoid cup, like a mastos but with flat base and often handles
Image:Phiale Louvre L55.jpg, Phiale
Image:Donkey_head_rhyton_Louvre_Cp3555.jpg, Rhyton, c. 430 BCE.
Image:Skyphos_birds_Louvre_CA3822.jpg, Skyphos, c. 740 BC
Image:Black-slip glaux skyphos Louvre ED294.jpg, Glaux skyphos
Image:Hermogenes_skyphos_Louvre_S1836.jpg, Hermogenes skyphos


Image:Tithonos_Eos_Louvre_G438.jpg, Oenochoe Shape 1
Image:Lampadedromia Louvre N3357.jpg, Oinochoe Shape 2
Image:Oinoche_Anthesteria_Louvre_L71.jpg, Oinochoe Shape 3
Image:Javelin thrower Louvre G243.jpg, Oinochoe Shape 7
Image:Olpe riders Louvre E647.jpg, Olpe


Image:Alabastron Louvre CA1920.jpg, Alabastron, small holders for oil or perfume
Image:Louvre_amphorisque_animaux_sirenes.JPG, Amphoriskos
Image:Protocorinthian aryballos Louvre CA2919.jpg, Pyriform Aryballos
Image:Globular aryballos Louvre Ele357.jpg, Globular aryballos
File:Cockleshells aryballos Met 23.160.33.jpg, Fancy aryballos in the form of three cockle shells, 6th century BC
Image:Acorn-lekythos Louvre MNB1320.jpg, Acorn lekythos
Image:KAMA_Guerrier_s'armant.jpg, Deianeira lekythos, c. 550 BC.
Image:NAMA_Thésée_&_taureau.jpg, Shoulder or secondary lekythos, c. 500 BC.
Image:NAMA_Circé_&_Ulysse.jpg, Standard or cylinder lekythos c.490 BCE.
Image:Aryballos-shaped_lekythos_Louvre_CA1727.jpg, Squat lekythos
Image:Loutrophoros Louvre CA1960.jpg, Loutrophoros
File:Loutrophoros Antikensammlung Kiel B 787 (3).jpg, "Huge" Loutrophoros, 330 BC

Image:Askos Louvre G447.jpg, Askos
Image:Epichysis Louvre ED859.jpg, Epichysis
Image:Tripod_exaleiptron_Louvre_CA927.jpg, Exaleiptron
Image:Kernos Melos Sevres 3552.jpg, Kernos
Image:Corinthian kothon Louvre CA3352.jpg, Kothon
Image:Music lagynos Louvre M149.jpg, Lagynos
Image:Lekane Louvre CA3059.jpg, Lekane
Image:Lekanis_Louvre_Cp513-Cp202.jpg, Lekanis
Image:Ionian lydion MAR Palermo NI1779.jpg, Lydion
Image:Nestoris Louvre K534.jpg, Nestoris (Trozella)
Image:Pinax prothesis Louvre MNB905.jpg, Pinax (plaque)
Image:Phormiskos Louvre CA1418.jpg, Phormiskos (here a terracotta model)
Image:Plate Euphorbos BM GR1860.4-4.1.jpg, Plate
Image:Fish plate Louvre K588.jpg, Fish Plate
Image:Black-glaze plemochoe Louvre CA3131.jpg, Plemochoe
Image:Pyxis_Peleus_Thetis_Louvre_L55_by_Wedding_Painter.jpg, Pyxis, c. 470 BC.
Image:Pointed pyxis Louvre CA6020.jpg, Pointed pyxis
Image:Strainer_vase_Herakles_Louvre_CA822.jpg, Strainer vase

Styles of lips and feet

Image:Amphora Louvre F12 detail.jpg, Flaring lip
Image:Pederastic courtship Louvre F20 detail.jpg, Inverted Echinus lip
Image:Stamnos Dionysos Louvre G43 detail.jpg, Lip in several degrees
Image:Warrior departure Louvre F22 detail.jpg, Torus lip

Image:Helen Menelaus Louvre G424 detail.jpg, Disk foot
Image:Warrior youths Louvre F26 detail.jpg, Echinus foot

See also

* Ancient Greek art
* Black-figure pottery
* Red-figure pottery
* Greek terracotta figurines
* List of Greek Vase Painters

Notes

References

* Gisela M. A. Richter, Marjorie J. Milne,
Shapes and Names of Athenian Vases
', Metropolitan Museum of art, New York, 1935.

Further reading

*

External links

{{Greek Vases