blackfigured

Black-figure pottery is a style of ancient Greek pottery painting characterized by the use of black slip to outline and fill in figures. These figures were then painted onto a red clay background. Details were incised into the black slip to reveal the red clay beneath, creating a silhouette effect with added textural elements. This technique was particularly popular in the Archaic period, from the late 7th century BCE through the 5th century BCE.

The earliest examples of black-figure pottery originated in Corinth, but the style was most extensively developed and mastered in Athens. Athenian black-figure artists produced a vast array of vases, including amphorae, kraters, and kylixes, often depicting mythological scenes, religious rituals, and scenes from daily life. The figures were typically stiff and formal, with a focus on narrative clarity. Common motifs included heroes like Heracles, gods like Dionysus, and scenes from the Trojan War.

The black-figure technique gradually gave way to the red-figure technique, which emerged around 530 BCE. In red-figure pottery, the background is painted black, and the figures are left in the red of the clay, with details painted in. This allowed for greater naturalism and fluidity in the depiction of the human form. Despite the rise of red-figure, black-figure continued to be produced for some time, particularly for export. The study of black-figure pottery provides invaluable insights into ancient Greek mythology, art, and society.