The history of Greek vases : potters, painters, and pictures

Greek pottery has long fascinated scholars and historians of art. It provides a continuous commentary on all other Greek arts, even sculpture, and the scenes figured on the vases can prove to be as subtle and informative as the works of Greek literature. In no other art of antiquity do we come closer to the visual experience of the ancient Greeks or share their views on life, myth, and even politics. The stylistic history of Greek vases has been demonstrated in other Thames & Hudson books by John Boardman. Here he sketches that history but goes on to explore the many other matters that make the study so fruitful. He describes the methods of making and decorating vases, the processes of identifying the artists, life in the potters' quarter in Greek towns, the way in which the wares were traded far beyond the borders of the Greek world, from Morocco to Persia, from Russia to the Sudan, and problems in making and decorating them. He shows how Greek artists exercised a style of narrative in art that was long influential in the West, and how their pictures reflected not simply on storytelling but on the politics and social order of the day. The vases' function in Greek culture and as messengers of style and subject are explained. Greek pottery has long fascinated scholars and historians of art. It provides a continuous commentary on all other Greek arts, even sculpture, and the scenes figured on the vases can prove to be as subtle and informative as the great works of Greek literature.

In no other art of antiquity do we come closer to the visual experience of the ancient Greeks, or are we able to observe so clearly their views on life, myth, and even politics. The stylistic history of Greek vases has been demonstrated in other Thames & Hudson titles by John Boardman; the subject "is a central one to classical archaeology and art, and dare not be ignored by students of any other ancient medium, or indeed of any other classical discipline."

Here he sketches that history but goes on to explore many other matters that make the study so fruitful. He describes the processes of identifying artists, the methods of making and decorating the vases and the problems in doing so, the life of the potter and conduct of the potters' quarter in Greek towns, and the way in which the wares traded far beyond the borders of the Greek world, from Morocco to Persia, from Russia to the Sudan. Their functions in life, cult, and as messengers of style and subject are also explained. Boardman shows how Greek artists exercised a style of narrative in art that was long influential in the West, and how their pictures reflected not simply on story-telling but on the politics and social order of the day.

"In no other art of antiquity do we come closer to the visual experience of the ancient Greeks than through their finely-wrought pottery." "In this volume John Boardman explores the vases functions in Greek life and culture, and as messengers of style and subject. He relates the processes of identifying artists, the methods of making and decorating the vases, the artists lives and conduct in the potters' quarter in Greek towns, and the ways in which their wares were traded far beyond the borders of the Greek world, from Morocco to Persia, from Russia to the Sudan. Boardman demonstrates that the scenes figured on the vases reflected not simply on story-telling, but on the politics and social order of the day; moreover, they exercised a style of narrative in art that was to resonate throughout Western culture for centuries to come."--Jacket An examination of the functions of vases in ancient Greek life and culture, and as messengers of style and subject. Boardman discusses the vase artists themselves, methods of manufacture and decoration, and trade beyond the borders of the Greek world.