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The so-called Dayton Painter (active 6th century B.C.)
Greek
AMPHORA, Archaic, c. 520 BCE

Terra-cotta with black-figure style decoration
13 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
Museum purchase
1963.84

The so-called Dayton Painter

Amphora

Pottery was an essential component of everyday life in Greece; terra-cotta (fired clay) containers of various shapes were used to hold or serve wine and store grain, honey, oil, and other commodities. This amphora (which may originally have had a cover) for example, would have been used to store food. Usually a pottery vessel was produced by one craftsman and painted by another. Although some vessels were signed by the artisan, most were not; in modern times, as a way of helping to identify them, vessels are often named for the collection in which the piece is located. In 1964, Greek pottery specialist Dietrich von Bothmer baptized the unnamed craftsman who painted this particular amphora as “The Dayton Painter.” Consequently, Dayton’s piece is known as the “name vase” which helps to identify other works by the same hand. A companion vase by “The Dayton Painter” of similar shape and decoration is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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