The YZ Group is an assumed group of ancient Greek
Attic vase painters of the
red-figure
Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting.
It developed in Athens around 520 BCE and remained in use until the late 3rd century BCE. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure va ...
style.
Individual artists can only be identified with difficulty. The group was given its conventional name by
John D. Beazley during his studies of Attic red-figure was painting. He named the group "YZ" because he recognised their work as the latest known figural red-figure paintings. In analogy with the alphabet, "YZ" stands for the end of red-figure painting in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. The group was active around 320 BC. The exact date of the end of red-figure painting remains unclear, because no detailed chronology can be developed from the vases. The fact that YZ vases are relatively numerous may indicate that their production, though short in duration, was large in output. They depict ''
erotes
In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Erotes () are a collective of winged gods associated with love and sexual intercourse. They are part of Aphrodite's retinue. ''Erotes'' (Greek ) is the plural of ''Eros'' ("Love, Desire"), who as a s ...
'', women and
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
. The
tondos of bowls resemble works from the early 4th century, but are more casual and coarse in execution. Apart from bowls, ''
askoi'', ''
pyxides'' and small ''
lebetes gamikoi'' were also painted.
Bibliography
*
John D. Beazley: ''Attic red-figure vase-painters''. Oxford 1963.
*
John Boardman: ''Rotfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Die klassische Zeit'', von Zabern, Mainz 1991 (Kulturgeschichte der Antiken Welt, Band 48), especially p. 202f. .
{{Authority control
Ancient Greek vase painters
Anonymous artists of antiquity