Getty Museum
Attic Red-Figure Cup
Creator
EpiktetosPainter
All works by this person →Epiktetos painted vases in Athens in the period from about 520 to 490 B.C. He worked in red-figure in the early days of the technique, but he also produced several bilingual cups with red-figure decoration on the exterior and black-figure on the interior, a type that was popular in this period. Epiktetos specialized in the decoration of cups, but he produced a range of other shapes as well. Schola
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 510 B.C.
- Medium
- Terracotta
- Culture
- Greek (Attic)
- Department
- Vessels
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Reclining on a couch, a balding man tilts his head back and sings, accompanying himself on the lyre. Several features of the scene, such as the couch, the pillow, and especially the wreath the man wears, reveal that he is a participant at a symposion or drinking party. Many Greek vases, especially elaborate cups, were designed for use at such parties. Therefore, vase-painters frequently decorated these vessels with scenes of revelry and drinking. The circular area or tondo on the interior of a cup often presented challenges for Greek vase-painters. Some drew a line across the circle to create an artificial ground-line for their figures, and on this vase, the line across the circle suggests the man's couch. The edge of the man's mantle slipping down behind and below this line creates an impression of depth and space. The vase-painter also used the circular frame of the tondo as part of the composition: it supports the man's pillow, and he props his foot on it.
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