Shapes have received little attention in the study of South Italian Red-Figure Pottery. Although the general lines of development of individual forms were occasionally discussed by Trendall, his main interest lay in vase-painting. The topic has been neglected also by later scholars, more interested in iconography and, to a lesser extent, classification and style. The morphological study of shapes and the analysis of potter-work details has instead virtually no tradition. This contribution aims to provide some preliminary discussion on this issue. The role played by potters in the development of red-figure pottery in Southern Italy, which also meant the introduction of new shapes previously not attested in the local morphological repertoire will be addressed analyzing the framework in which this production originated at Metaponto. Some case-studies chosen among Lucanian workshops of the second half of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th century BC will be furthermore presented to investigate the relationship between potters and painters. Particular attention will be reserved to the Creusa and Dolon workshop, which constitutes one of the most important and lively episodes in Metapontine red-figure production. While the personalities of the painters are to some degree established, there is still little information available about the potters active in the workshop a complete understanding of this workshop. Nonetheless, the large output and the variety of shapes produced by the atelier both in red-figure and in black-gloss confirm that the potters’ originality and capacity for innovation was by no means inferior to the painters’.
Potters and Painters in Metapontine Red-Figure Workshops: Some Preliminary Observations
SILVESTRELLI, Francesca
2016-01-01
Abstract
Shapes have received little attention in the study of South Italian Red-Figure Pottery. Although the general lines of development of individual forms were occasionally discussed by Trendall, his main interest lay in vase-painting. The topic has been neglected also by later scholars, more interested in iconography and, to a lesser extent, classification and style. The morphological study of shapes and the analysis of potter-work details has instead virtually no tradition. This contribution aims to provide some preliminary discussion on this issue. The role played by potters in the development of red-figure pottery in Southern Italy, which also meant the introduction of new shapes previously not attested in the local morphological repertoire will be addressed analyzing the framework in which this production originated at Metaponto. Some case-studies chosen among Lucanian workshops of the second half of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th century BC will be furthermore presented to investigate the relationship between potters and painters. Particular attention will be reserved to the Creusa and Dolon workshop, which constitutes one of the most important and lively episodes in Metapontine red-figure production. While the personalities of the painters are to some degree established, there is still little information available about the potters active in the workshop a complete understanding of this workshop. Nonetheless, the large output and the variety of shapes produced by the atelier both in red-figure and in black-gloss confirm that the potters’ originality and capacity for innovation was by no means inferior to the painters’.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
