The Niobid Painter was an ancient Athenian potter in the red figure style, named after a krater

Krater

A krater was a large vase used to mix wine and water in Ancient Greece.-Form and function:...

 which on one side shows the god Apollo

Apollo

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

 and his sister Artemis

Artemis

Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...

 killing the children of Niobe

Niobe

Niobe was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, and she was the sister of Pelops and Broteas, all of whom figure in Greek mythology....

 who were collectively called the Niobids. There is some confusion as to what is being depicted on the opposite side as none of the figures are labeled. However, it is generally accepted that it is either the gathering of the Argonauts

Argonauts

The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...

 or the Seven Against Thebes

Seven Against Thebes

The Seven against Thebes is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won...

, though neither is certain. This painter was influenced by Polygnotos of Thasos, and may also have used artistic elements he saw in frescoes painted by Micon of Athens

Micon

Micon the Younger of Athens was an ancient Greek painter and sculptor from the middle of the 5th century BC. He was closely associated with Polygnotus of Thasos, in conjunction with whom he adorned the Stoa poikile , at Athens, with paintings of the Battle of Marathon and other battles. He also...

, which decorated the walls of the Stoa Poikile

Stoa Poikile

The Stoa Poikile or Painted Porch, originally called the Porch of Peisianax , was erected during the 5th century BC and was located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. The Stoa was the location from which Zeno of Citium taught Stoicism...

. The krater is now housed at the Musée du Louvre in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.
It is 54cm in height and 56cm in diameter. The artwork has used the red figure style technique, the style was developed around 530BC. The artist has attempted to create a three dimensional space, by outlining the foreground, middleground and background. The three-dimensional goal was not successfully completed, but the effort is easily seen. The shapes are easily depicted by the different colours used and the amount of detail which has been applied. The pot shows that the greek culture had a lot of mythological beliefs and stories back in the classical period. It shows Greeks fighting amazons, centaurs and Trojans. These larger paintings are symbolic of Athenian leadership.