Black Figure Vases
Greece
Vocabulary
Greek Black Figure Vase Painting: Painting figures and designs on a vase that depict their daily
life and culture.
Silhouette: The dark shape or outline of someone or something against a lighter background.
Modeling: Using your hands to manipulate clay into a form.
Hand building: Constructing a shape from coils of clay with your hands.
Coil: A length of wound clay.
Loop, Wire, Ribbon Tools: These tools are great for hand building. You can use them to scoop
out small amounts of clay, define specific areas etc.
Important Facts
-Black-figure pottery painting is one of the most modern styles for adorning antique Greek vases.
-It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BC.
-Figures and ornaments were painted on the body of the vessel using shapes and colors
reminiscent of silhouettes.
-Delicate contours were incised into the paint before firing, and details could be reinforced and
highlighted with opaque colors, usually white and red.
-The principal centers for this style were initially the commercial hub Corinth, and later Athens.
Other important production sites are known to have been in Laconia, Boeotia, eastern Greece and
Italy.
-Particularly in Italy individual styles developed which were at least in part intended for the
Etruscan market.
-Greek black-figure vases were very popular with the Etruscans.
-Greek artists created customized goods for the Etruscan market which differed in form and decor
from their normal products.
-The Etruscans also developed their own black-figure ceramic industry oriented on Greek models.
-Black-figure vases are some of the most important sources of mythology and iconography, and
sometimes also for researching day-to-day ancient Greek life.
Our Project
We will be sculpting and painting our own Black Figure Vases.
1) Begin by sculpting your vase. Follow my very important and incredibly entertaining (okay,
maybe not so entertaining) demo steps.
2) After your vase is completely sculpted, do a sketch of what your silhouette figures on your vase
will be doing. Think of a modern hobby or game they may be playing. For instance, I would
probably have my figures painting at easels.
3) When you are happy with your sketch you can begin painting.