Lip-Cup sexual intercourse Ialysos black background

Little-Master cups are a type of

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

black-figure Black-figure pottery painting (also known as black-figure style or black-figure ceramic; ) is one of the styles of Ancient Greek vase painting, painting on pottery of ancient Greece, antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th a ...

cups, produced around the middle and third quarter of the sixth century BC. Their name is based on their fine small-format decoration. Little-Master cups are later in origin than Siana cups, but both types were produced over a considerable period of time. The

Little Masters The Little Masters ("Kleinmeister" in German language, German), were a group of German printmakers who worked in the first half of the 16th century, primarily in engraving. They specialized in very small finely detailed old master print, prints, s ...

painted only the small upper frieze above the carination of the cup, at times also the lip or handle areas. It is probably that only few of the painters of Siana cups also painted Little-Master cups. One of the first artists to introduce the Little-Master cup in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

was Kleitias. The change in decoration went along with a lengthening of the cup foot. The dedicated painters of Little-Master cups rarely painted larger formats, whereas painters primarily specialised in large vases are known to have also painted Little-Master cups. Stylistic comparison between larger and smaller formats of the period remains difficult. Many Little-Master cups are signed (especially

lip cup Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek Attica, Attic Little-Master cup, Little-master cups. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in Athens. They resemble Gordion cup, Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly d ...

s), as the signature was often incorporated in the overall decor. The signatures are mostly by potters, probably because the potting was often of higher quality than the painting.

Types as well as related shapes and derivatives

Several types of Little-Master cups are known: * Band cups * Droop cups * Gordion cups *

Kassel cup Kassel cups are a specific type of Attic Little-master cups, produced in Athens around 540 to 520 BC. Kassel cups are quite similar to Band cups, but shallower and usually rather small. The lip and body of the vase are usually decorated with si ...

s *

Lip cup Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek Attica, Attic Little-Master cup, Little-master cups. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in Athens. They resemble Gordion cup, Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly d ...

s *

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

''skyphoi''

Gallery

Image:Band cup Louvre F72.jpg, Band cup by an unknown Attic artist, BC.

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. Image:Droop cup Louvre CA2512.jpg, Droop Cup by an unknown Attic artist, BC. Louvre. Image:Kassel cup Louvre E673.jpg,

Kassel Cup Kassel cups are a specific type of Attic Little-master cups, produced in Athens around 540 to 520 BC. Kassel cups are quite similar to Band cups, but shallower and usually rather small. The lip and body of the vase are usually decorated with si ...

by an unknown Attic artist, BC. Louvre.

Bibliography

John Beazley Sir John Davidson Beazley (; 13 September 1885 – 6 May 1970) was a British classical archaeologist and art historian, known for his classification of Attic vases by artistic style. He was professor of classical archaeology and art at the U ...

: ''Little-master Cups'', in: ''

The Journal of Hellenic Studies ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in Hellenic studies. It also publishes reviews of recent books of importance to Hellenic studies. It was established in 1880 and is published by Camb ...

'' 52 (1932), p. 167-204. * John D. Beazley: ''Attic Black-figure Vase-Painting'', Oxford 1956, p. 159-197. * Dieter Metzler: ''Eine attische Kleinmeisterschale mit Töpferszenen in Karlsruhe'', in: Archäologischer Anzeiger (1969), p. 138-152. * John D. Beazley: ''Paralipomena. Additions to Attic black-figure vase-painters and to Attic red-figure vase-painters'', Oxford 1971, p. 67-80. * Joan Tarlow Haldenstein: ''Little master cups. Studies in 6th century Attic black-figure vase painting'', Dissertation University of Cincinnati 1975. * Heide Mommsen: ''Kleinmeister-Schalen'', in:

Der Neue Pauly The Pauly encyclopedias or the Pauly-Wissowa family of encyclopedias, are a set of related encyclopedias on Greco-Roman topics and scholarship. The first of these, or (1839–1852), was begun by compiler August Pauly. Other encyclopedias in t ...

, Vol. 6, 1999, Col. 563 * Rudolf Wachter: ''Drinking inscriptions on Attic little-master cups. A catalogue (AVI 3)'', in: Kadmos 42 (2003), p. 141-189. * Peter Heesen: ''Drinking inscriptions on Attic little-master cups. Does size matter? A contribution to the AVI Project'', in: Museum Helveticum 63 (2006), p. 44-62. {{Greek drinking cups Ancient Greek pot shapes Ancient Greek vase-painting styles 6th century BC in Greece Arts in Attica 6th-century BC artifacts