Skythes
Encyclopedia
Skythes was an Attic
black-figure vase painters actibe between about 520 and 505 BC.
Modern scholarship considers Skythes as a kind of artistic loner, whose work cannot easily be categorised among the known workshops and groups. He signed four known kylikes
. Further, he another ca. twenty kylikes and two dinos
stands are attributed to him on the basis of stylistic anlyses. His early works were created a short time after the invention of the red-figure technique. On three bilingual works he demonstrates his skill in the older black-figure style. Unsually, they feature red-figure paintings on the interior and on the outside black-figure on coral-red ground. Inside and outside each bear only one figure. He belonged to the first generation of vase painters to specialise in cups.
His figural images depict people in an exaggerated ugliness or brutishness, casting him, much in contrast to the norms then prevailing in Greek art, as a comedian, even a satirist
. Especially his faces reflect an outré sense of humour. Perhaps this indicates, as does his name, that he was not a native Athenian
, although he was well aware of the city's artistic repertoire. Although he was probably not a Scythian, the (self-chosen) nickname appears to express a certain extravagance or individualism. Two pinakes
with black-figure paint that were found the Athenian Acropolis bear the signature of a Skythes. It is assumed that they are also by him.
His vases occasionally bear the kalos inscriptionn
Epilykos. The Pedieus Painter uses the same name, which has led some scholars to suggest that he is identical with Skythes towards the end of his career. On a vase by Phintias, the same Epilykos is depicted as an athlete. For some time, such vases were falsely ascribed to a non-existent painter Epilykos. The use of the name classifies Skythes as a member of the Epilykos Class.
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
black-figure vase painters actibe between about 520 and 505 BC.
Modern scholarship considers Skythes as a kind of artistic loner, whose work cannot easily be categorised among the known workshops and groups. He signed four known kylikes
Kylix (drinking cup)
A kylix is a type of wine-drinking glass with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a stem from a foot and usually with two horizontal handles disposed symmetrically...
. Further, he another ca. twenty kylikes and two dinos
Dinos
In the typology of ancient Greek pottery, the dinos is a mixing bowl. Dinos means "drinking cup," but in modern typology is used for the same shape as a lebes, that is, a bowl with a spherical body meant to sit on a stand...
stands are attributed to him on the basis of stylistic anlyses. His early works were created a short time after the invention of the red-figure technique. On three bilingual works he demonstrates his skill in the older black-figure style. Unsually, they feature red-figure paintings on the interior and on the outside black-figure on coral-red ground. Inside and outside each bear only one figure. He belonged to the first generation of vase painters to specialise in cups.
His figural images depict people in an exaggerated ugliness or brutishness, casting him, much in contrast to the norms then prevailing in Greek art, as a comedian, even a satirist
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. Especially his faces reflect an outré sense of humour. Perhaps this indicates, as does his name, that he was not a native Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, although he was well aware of the city's artistic repertoire. Although he was probably not a Scythian, the (self-chosen) nickname appears to express a certain extravagance or individualism. Two pinakes
Pinax
In the culture of ancient Greece and Magna Graecia, a pinax or a "board", denotes a votive tablet of painted wood, terracotta, marble or bronze that served as a votive object deposited in a sanctuary or as a memorial affixed within a burial chamber. In daily life pinax might equally denote a...
with black-figure paint that were found the Athenian Acropolis bear the signature of a Skythes. It is assumed that they are also by him.
His vases occasionally bear the kalos inscriptionn
Kalos inscription
The Kalos inscription was a form of epigraph found on Attic vases and graffiti in antiquity, common between 550 and 450 BC, and usually found on symposion vessels. The word καλός means "beautiful"; here it had an erotic connotation, and the inscription took the form of a youth's name, in the...
Epilykos. The Pedieus Painter uses the same name, which has led some scholars to suggest that he is identical with Skythes towards the end of his career. On a vase by Phintias, the same Epilykos is depicted as an athlete. For some time, such vases were falsely ascribed to a non-existent painter Epilykos. The use of the name classifies Skythes as a member of the Epilykos Class.