Penthesilea bowl | Greek vase painting in practice | Τhe red figure technique
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2019
- edited and directed by Spiros Pantazis
music : Yorgos Tsangarakis
voice-over-script & subtitles (by Eleni Aloupi, EA/THETIS)
As Achilles looms over the falling Amazon and begins to deliver the mortal blow their eyes meet. The painter forces us to enter into the state of mind of the characters involved. Not only do his characters think, but they make us think too - qualities which perhaps constitute the essence of Early Classical Art.
This kylix depicting the slaying of the queen of Amazons Penthesilea by Achilles, was painted in a year between 470 and 460 BCE by an unknown vase painter at his studio near the center of Athens; most probably in the potter’s district of Kerameikos.
Today the unusually large kylix, known as the “Penthesilea bowl no 2688” forms part of the State Collections of Antiquities in Munich (Munich, Glyptothek and Antikensammlung).
We’ll follow the stages of production of a newly designed such kylix portraying the same scene in its tondo, which we were asked to reproduce for a private collection.
The first stage to produce a vase is the study of the design, details of decoration, calculation of its dimensions and proportions, requiring access to specialized libraries and databases.
Our vase-painter has produced a series of drawings and sketches before arriving at the final design which in itself has a special collectible value, completing and restoring the missing parts of the original image.
At the next stage we construct the vase body. In this case, we chose a large black glazed kylix of classical times.
The kylix was formed on the wheel in two parts, separately the cup and the stem, which were left to dry for 2 days before joining.
This is also the most vulnerable point of construction. As usual, we encountered failures that though discourage us, we learn from them and make us look at the original ancient vases for another perspective (and give us another perspective to the ancient vases)
To produce the ultra-fine clay slip, natural ferruginous clays from Attica are soaked in water and processed.
Specific knowledge is required both for the location of the clay deposit and for the preparation of the colloidal suspension from which the clay paint results. The preparation process lasts up to one week.
This stage is an important component of our know-how that has been acquired over the last 30 years through research, experimentation, and teamwork.
The areas that are going to become black are covered with the red clay paint. The vase goes through different hands as it was decorated by two vase painters, hand-drawn the main painting scene in its interior and the large exterior surface on the turn-table.
In the end, with an extra thin brush, the relief lines (those that are going to become intensely black) are added which give strength and integrity to the drawing.
Penthesilea's scene is colorful and gilded with added pigments and embossed decorative elements with clay in the armor of the warriors (the cuirasses, leggings, swords and the spear) and the jewels wearing the Amazons.
The decorated cup is then placed in the kiln specially designed to perform the 3-stage firing as it was practiced by the ancients.
16 hours later, the red clay paint turns to the black glaze known for its velvet sheen and unsurpassed quality.
Gilding is applied after the firing, as in antiquity. The relief clay ornaments are covered with organic glue, and a then a golden metal sheet is placed on top and fixed with burnishing.
6 people worked in total to produce the vase and the materials used. The whole process lasted 7 weeks and it took us 9 hours to form the kylix on the wheel, 25 hours for decoration and 60 hours for firing. The work took place between October to November 2018.
Magnificent! Well done to all involved in this beautiful production, and thanks for sharing it.
This channel deserves more attention
Beautifully done! Thank you all for all the effort you put into this artistic re-creation!
Beautiful..! Thank you for this great video
thank you !! we'll go on with the black figure technique soon
Such a beautiful process. i may love the process more than the final piece.
Fantastic, and so beautiful. Thank-you.
Wow. That’s incredible!
Wow. Stunning work!
Εξαιρετική δουλειά! Μπράβο σε όλη την ομάδα!
Εύγε! Σαν φοιτητής ιστορίας της τέχνης, νομίζω ότι βοηθήθηκα πάρα πολύ στην κατανόηση τεχνικών που όταν απλά διάβαζα γιαυτές...λίγα καταλάβαινα μάλλον!
Superb.
thank you!!!!
wonderful!
Amazing 😢😍😍
kylix cups are very difficult to recreate , painting can be a nightmare. to get one out of a kiln perfect is a joy, the height is half the width of the bowel
Είμαι από τη Βραζιλία και μου άρεσε παρά πολύ αυτό το βίντεο... Ελπίζω να δω πολλά άλλα! :D
Well done for writing in Greek!
@@pneron2032 :D Ευχαριστώ!
Amazing video thankyou 😊😊😊😊🤗🤗🤗
very very lovely presentation. i csnt say the gilding is my favorite - but thats probably because im not used to the concept (similar to the painted marble statues - though ive seen some that arent painted like clowns).
Would love to know the black glaze formula & firing cycle - is there a paper on it?
Amazing! I’m an Italian philosophy student. I’m in love with ancient Greece. I’ve just bought a lathe to start crafting vases and I would like to imitate Greek works. Where should I start? Very nice work and thank you for sharing
you can contact us by email at atticblack@thetis.gr
May I ask what something like this might cost? I have been looking for a good reproduction of a belly amphora which is in a museum (made by Antimenes) for a while now. Unfortunately the other sellers of replica greek vases do not follow the ancient technique of firing the glaze - they just paint it black.
What is the approximate pricing range for something like this? The inferior replicas are about €1000, so how much more would one of yours cost?
Admirable indeed!
Please, what is the music in the background?
the music is by George Tsangarakis a specialist in percussion musical instruments
Thank you! It would be a great opportunity to know some Greek musician!
η μουσική υπόχρωση είναι δυσανάλογα δυνατή και εκνευριστική
θα το έχουμε υπόψη μας σε επόμενη παραγωγή
These drawings are EXTREMELY beautiful but very different from the ancient ones! The ancient ones use QUICK, singlehanded, virtuoso curves at each joint, not a slow, continuous, sinuous line.
So, it took around ~100 hours to make. I'm assuming it would take substantially less for an experienced artisan that does nothing but kylikes et al. all day, but it still seems very laborious. My understanding is also that pottery wasn't very expensive. How was this activity profitable?
economy of scale
I still don't understand why the slip stays black but other parts return to red, can someone please explain?
The paint layer vitrifies during reduction and so it doesn't allow oxygen to penetrate and reoxidise the black iron oxides in the final stage. The ceramic body is porous and turns to red. More in the short videos ATTIC VASES part 1-3.
@@atticblackauthenticsltd914 THANK YOU!
Ποιός θα συνεχίσει στο διηνεκές αυτή την πολύτιμη αναβίωση της Ελληνικής Κληρονομιάς;
Ας ελπίσουμε οτι σιγα-σιγα θα πολλαπλασιαστούμε, με τον καιρό θ'ακολουθήσουν κι αλλοι. Ο χρόνος θα δείξει.
For 3 years it hasn't been black...🥵
I wonder why the names of the artisans who actually made the bowl are never mentioned. Could you please tell their names, at least, if not more information is provided.
Thank you for your interest in our work! You can get more info about the team at www.atticblack.com/the-studio/
@@elenialoupi3788 Thank you so much for your kind answer! It would be fantastic if even more videos were uploaded. Cheers from Germany
It's certainly a great reproducing and learning process, but the final lines in the final reproduction don't seem to flow as smoothly as the original. Seems to be the hands of an amature rather than an experienced painter.
You must consider the hesitation of the artist during filming - you can see her competence in other short videos (eg th-cam.com/video/4ILGcewvm0k/w-d-xo.html). Most of the artists and artisans do not work in front of others. Good point though.