Research 9/23/2020: Panathenaic Prize Amphora

 

Ancient Greece Pottery: Panathenaic Prize Amphora 

Description:

The Panathenaic Prize Amphora is a terracotta pot from 490 B.C. The pot was glazed using the black figure technique. It also has red a white detailing. This amphora was a prize that would be given out to the winner of the Panathenaic games in Athens. It has an inscription on it that reads, "From the Games at Athens" (Yale). I chose this late archaic piece because I was intrigued by the story behind it. I also love the idea of this famous ancient artifact being utilitarian. This acted as a trophy and was even filled with olive oil. The intricate red and black detailing on the lip of the amphora is gorgeous and so precise. I find it very intriguing that in ancient times people used ceramics to tell story. This amphora tells the story of Athena on one side and a rider on a chariot on the other. I have always found it difficult to recreate this type of art without feeling clique, or like a project in a grade school classroom. I feel that the best way to connect to this type of art would be to try an include detailing with differentiate linework into some of my pieces. 

New Terms: 

Amphora: "A tall ancient Greek or Roman jar with two handles and a narrow neck" (Google Dictionary)

Black Figure Technique: A technique where slip is applied that turns black during the oxidation process while firing

The video link describes in detail the ancient black figure technique that was used to make the figures on the amphora: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/v/ancient-greek-vase-black-figure-technique

Works Cited

 “Ancient Panathenaic Games.” Health and Fitness History, healthandfitnesshistory.com/historical-athletes/ancient-panathenaic-games/. Cartwright, Mark. 

“Black Figure Pottery.” Ancient History 

Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 26 Nov. 2019, www.ancient.eu/Black_Figure_Pottery/.

“Panathenaic Prize Amphora: A: Athena, B: Four-Horse Chariot.” A, artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/643. Written by GreekBoston.com in Ancient Greek History. 

“All about the Panathenaic Games.” ICal, 5 July 2017, www.greekboston.com/culture/ancient-history/panathenaic-game. 

“Attic Panathenaic Amphora (Getty Museum).” The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles, www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/7596/attributed-to-kleophrades-painter-attic-panath enaic-amphora-greek-attic-500-480-bc/?dz=#f53c2ec7df9828ba887f19cf54ef8bbfaf8579 54. 

Art Institute of Chicago, "Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique," in Smarthistory, December 21, 2015, accessed December 2, 2019, https://smarthistory.org/ancient-greek-vase-production-and-the-black-figure-technique/

I wanted to research a piece that I have seen in the gallery. Below is a photograph of me with the piece in the Yale Art Gallery last year, before the virus hit.