Greek vase-painting (Griechische Vasenmalerei)Buschor, Ernst
History
Greek vase-painting (Griechische Vasenmalerei)
Buschor, Ernst
Vase-painting, Greek
We return to the mainland and Central Greece. Hagia Marina in Phocis is
the chief place in which a pottery, following on the Neolithic, has been
found, hand-made with a black or red glaze, with or without rectilinear
ornaments in white. This was called ‘Primitive varnish ware,’ before the
Neolithic preceding stages had become known. ‘Marina’ ware superseded
the Neolithic in Boeotia (Orchomenos) and Thessaly also; similar vases
have been found in the western islands (Leukas) and in the Argolid
(Tiryns). It is also related to the Cycladic civilization, as is
indicated by the jug imitated from metal models, which is common to both
styles.
The ‘Marina’ layer is succeeded at Orchomenos by a ware of a totally
different kind, which probably spread from this locality and is
therefore called ‘Minyan,’ dark-grey and grey or yellow vases,
especially (_a_) drinking-cups, with tall channelled foot, and (_b_)
profiled two-handled cups (Fig. 6), turned on the wheel, and in shape
more plainly even than the Marina ware dependent on metal models. The
wide extension of this already finely developed ware combines a series
of bronze-age sites into a chronological unit, the so-called ‘Shaft
grave’ stage (p. 7). In Northern and Central Greece as well as in Leucas
it follows on the ‘Marina’ ware, in Attica and Aegina it takes the place
of the monochrome and incised ware, in the islands it supersedes the
Cycladic pottery, in Troy it is parallel with the ware of Asia Minor and
Cyprus, in the Argolid the Marina finds of Tiryns are followed by the
shaft graves of Mycenae with Minyan vases.
Almost everywhere along with the Minyan ware we find vases not so finely
constructed, generally hand-made, which are neither burnt dark nor
glazed, but show a decoration applied in dull colour. This lustreless
painting (_Mattmalerei_) in Central and Northern Greece, and also in
Attica (white-ground ware of Aphidna, Eleusis), uses only geometrical
ornaments; in the Argolid on red or light clay vases linear patterns,
wavy lines, running spirals or even figured decorations (_e.g._ birds,
Fig. 4) are painted in brown colour. The decoration generally emphasises
the shoulder; the lower part of the vase is unadorned and separated by
stripes from the upper.
The next stage is that Minyan ware and lustreless painting are almost
everywhere driven out by Creto-Mycenean ‘Varnish’ pottery. In many
places this process did not take place till the end of the Bronze Age,
as in Thessaly, Central Greece and Attica (Eleusis). It was apparently
[Illustration: PLATE IV.
Fig. 5. KAMARES VASE FROM KNOSSOS.
Fig. 6. KYLIX FROM MYCENÆ.]
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