Oxford Monographs on Classical Archaeology
1 total work
The Meidias Painter, who worked in the closing decades of the fifth century BC, was one of the last great Athenian red-figure vase painters. He and his followers are principally known for their rather florid style, characterized by rich assemblies of elaborately dressed women, who sit or stand around the vases in a variety of graceful attitudes. Dr Burn's book is an iconographical study of the work of this group of vase painters. It examines the subject matter of the vases attributed on stylistic grounds to the Meidias Painter and his associates, and determines their major interests and sources of inspiration. It also examines how, if at all, the scenes relate to the customary background of late fifth-century Athens. While it is customary for studies of individual vase painters to concentrate on shapes, pattern-work, and figure-style, the tendency of iconographic studies has been to trace the developments of a single theme over a period of time. The Meidias Painter combines elements of both approaches, so as to throw new light not only on the working methods of one group of painters but also on the society of which they were a part.
It will be of great interest to classical archaeologists and ancient h is torians.
It will be of great interest to classical archaeologists and ancient h is torians.