The Kleophrades Painter is the name given to the anonymous red-figure Athenian vase painter, who was active from approximately 510 – 470 BCE and whose work, considered amongst the finest of the red figure style, is identified by its stylistic traits.

Name and identity

The name Kleophrades painter, given him in 1910 by classicist John Beazley

John Beazley

Sir John Davidson Beazley was an English classical scholar.Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Beazley attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a close friend of the poet James Elroy Flecker. After graduating in 1907, Beazley was a student and tutor in Classics at Christ Church, and in 1925 he...

, arises from a potter's inscription Kleophrades on a cup now in the Cabinet des Medailles

Cabinet des Médailles

The Cabinet des Médailles, more formally known as Département des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, is a department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, France, housed in its former premises in Rue de Richelieu.The Cabinet des Médailles is a museum...

, Paris; after having had this designation for some time, scholars discovered a pelike

Pelike

A pelike is a one-piece ceramic container similar to an amphora.It has two open handles that are vertical on their lateral aspects and even at the side with the edge of the belly, a narrow neck, a flanged mouth, and a sagging, almost spherical belly....

, now in Berlin, which has the painter's name Epiktetos inscribed on it, and the painter was for a time designated Epiktetos II, distinguishing him from a contemporary painter of the same name.

However in 1981 Sir John Boardman

John Boardman

Jack Melton Boardman, commonly known as John Boardman, is an American former professor of physics at Brooklyn College.- Academic career :...

 demonstrated that the signature on the vase was a modern forgery, and the Kleophrades Painter returned to anonymity. The Kleophrades painter is thought to be the son of the potter Amasis, and the pupil of Euthymides

Euthymides

Euthymides was an ancient Athenian potter and painter of vases, primarily active between 515 and 500 BC. He was a member of the Greek art movement later to be known as "The Pioneers" for their exploration of the new decorative style known as red-figure pottery...

, as his earliest work greatly resembles that of his master. He himself had pupils, which include the Berlin Painter

Berlin Painter

The Berlin Painter is the conventional name given to an Attic Greek vase-painter who is widely regarded as a rival to the Kleophrades Painter, among the most talented vase painters of the early 5th century BCE .The Berlin Painter along with the Kleophrades Painter was educated by a member of the...

 and also the Boot Painter. Overall the Kleophrades painter is recognized as one of the greatest pot painters in the late Archaic period in Athens.

Forms

The Beazley Archive has 227 vases either attributed to, near, or compared with the Kleophrades painter, and of these 227, 113 are directly attributed to this great painter, although aside from the potter's name on the one pelike, his name is not found anywhere. Although he painted a number of different shapes, the Kleophrades painter focused mostly on large vases, with the four most common shapes being Calyx kraters, Hydrias, panathenaic Amphorae, and neck amphorae. The provenances of these vases vary, although the great majority are found in Italy. Most of which were sent to Etruria, Vulci, which is now the modern Province of Viterbo. This evidence indicates that many of his vases were intended for export.

Figural subjects and style

Although the Kleophrades painter was not a member of the pioneer group of red-figure painters, it is suggested that he worked in the pioneer workshop. The pioneer workshop included Euphronios

Euphronios

Euphronios was an ancient Greek vase painter and potter, active in Athens in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC. As part of the so-called "Pioneer Group,"...

, Euthymides, Smikros, Hypsias, and the 'Dikaios Painter'. Beazley as well as Michael Padgett believe that Kleophrades not only worked in the pioneer workshop, but Kleophrades was also trained and taught by Euthymides. Euthymides is older and had a clear influence on Kleophrades based on technique and style. He may have started off his training as a black figure painter, given that on his earliest vases all of the borders and patterns surrounding the painted scenes are done in black figure. In addition to being trained in both black and red-figure, Kleophrades also used the white ground technique. Kleophrades did use it often and when the painter did it was a sub technique of his black-figure works. As he progresses, one side of the vase will have patterns in black figure, and the other in red, until finally, in his later work, all of the borders and patterns are done in red figure. The attribution of the Kleophrades painter’s work is based on the expressive emotions of his characters, and his work is particularly identifiable through study of his painted faces. The eyes of his figures are often drawn rather long and slender, accompanied by strong chins, and a very unique way of showing the inner detail of the ear.

Although working primarily in red figure (apart from the borders and patterns previously mentioned), the Kleophrades painter completed a number of panathenaic amphorae, many of which were actually used as prizes. All panathenaic amphorae, not only those by the Kleophrades painter, are done in black figure, and his personal pots show great proficiency in this style. The panathenaic amphorae by the Kleophrades painter can be recognized by the representation of Pegasus

Pegasus

Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...

, the winged horse, on the shield carried by Athena

Athena

In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...

, the manner in which her hair is represented, and the position of the spear behind Athena’s head, as well as the relation of the spear to her face.

The Kleophrades Painter's style is praised for the quality of the draughtsmanship, as well as for the vigorous, robust, and well-proportioned figures that he depicted. His influence has been seen in the work of the Boot Painter and the Troilos Painter. In this latter case, the two artists have decorated vessels apparently by the same potter produced at roughly the same time, making it appear likely that they may have been working in the same workshop.

Sources

• Beazley Archive, University of Oxford - The Kleophrades Painter
• Beazley, J. D. ABV. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Hacker Art Books, New York, 1978. Print.
• Beazley, J. D. Paralipomena: Additions to Attic Black-figure Vase-painters and to Attic Red-figure Vase-painters (second edition),. Oxford: Clarendon, 1971.
• Beazley, J. D. The Kleophrades Painter. Mainz: Verlag P. Von Zabern, 1974.
• Folsom, Robert S. Attic Red Figure Pottery. Park City, NJ: Noyes, 1976. Print.
• Matheson, Susan B. "Panathenaic Amphorae by the Kleophrades Painter." Greek Vases in the J. Paul Getty Museum 4 (1989): 95-112. Print.
• Kleophrades essay&redirect=true Michael Padgett, "The Kleophrades Painter, Introduction." Perseus Digital Library. Accessed 15 December 2010.