The Providence Painter is the conventional name given to a painter of the

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 ...

red-figure Red-figure pottery () is a style of Pottery of ancient Greece, ancient Greek pottery in which the background of the pottery is painted black while the figures and details are left in the natural red or orange color of the clay. It developed in A ...

style. He was active around 470 BC. The Providence Painter is considered to have been a pupil of the

Berlin Painter The Berlin Painter (active c. 490–460s BC) is the conventional name given to an Attic Greek vase painters who is widely regarded as among the most talented of his time. There are no painter signatures on any of the Berlin Painter's attributed ...

. His reputation is that of a careful artist at the transition from

Archaic Archaic may refer to: * Archaic Period (several meanings), archaeological term used to refer to a very early period differing by location *Archaic humans, people before ''homo sapiens'' * ''Archaic'' (comics), a comic-book series created by write ...

to Classical art. He had difficulties shedding Archaic habits. For example, he tended to faithfully follow Archaic traditions in depicting anatomical detail or clothing. Short narrative scenes are known only from some of his larger vases, such as '' stamnoi'' and ''

hydria The hydria (; : hydriai) is a form of Greek pottery from between the Geometric art, late Geometric period (7th century BC) and the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC). The etymology of the word hydria was first noted when it was stamped on a ...

i'' depicting groups of deities or mythical events. Usually, however, he painted smaller vases, such as

Nolan amphora The Nolan amphora is a variant style of the amphora jar, a common artifact of Pottery of ancient Greece, Greek and Ancient Roman pottery, Roman pottery. Nolan amphorae are characterized by a neck that is longer and narrower than in traditional neck ...

e or ''

lekythoi A lekythos (; : lekythoi) is a type of ancient Greek vessel used for storing oil, especially olive oil. It has a narrow body and one handle attached to the neck of the vessel, and is thus a narrow type of jug, with no pouring lip; the oinochoe is ...

''. One of his favourite motifs are women under pursuit. Generally, he usually depicts women as running or rushing. He also frequently uses scenes of domestic women, such as weaving. The Providence Painter is often fond of using Athena and Nike (winged woman). Details of his paintings, such as eyes, earrings, ankles or certain plant ornaments are reminiscent of the

. Several of his vases carry a ''kalos'' inscription dedicated to ''Glaukon''. The Providence takes his name from a big neck amphora depicting Apollo located in Providence Rhode Island.Gisela Marie Augusta Richter, ''Attic Red-Figure Vases'' (Yale University Press, 1958), 74 Although the Providence painter focused on Lekythoi, he did create some amphoras, perhaps because his teacher, the Berlin painter decorated a series of amphoras in his middle period and during this phase the Providence painter learned from the Berlin painter.Martin Robertson, ''The Art of vase-painting in classical Athens'' (Cambridge University, 1992), 174 The Berlin Painter was also the first potter to popularize the use of red-figure on smaller pots, such as the lekthoi, as the Providence Painter has done. The Providence Painter also followed his master with the use of his distinctive symmetrical meander pattern. The Providence Painter mirrored many aspects of the Berlin Painter, suggesting he worked for some time in the Berlin painter’s workshop. But, unlike his master, the Providence painter used white ground with outline drawing on some of his smaller vases, a popular technique of lekythoi pottery. The Providence painter can also be compared to Hermonax, a red-figure Athens painter active between 470 and 440 BC. Hermonax may have also been in the same workshop as the Berlin and Providence painters, as he shows many similarities. Hermonax is seen as the lesser artist though, as his techniques are not as well executed. For example, he does not draw the meander pattern as well as the Berlin and Providence painters.

References

Bibliography

John D. 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 ...

. ''Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963. * John Boardman. ''Rotfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Die archaische Zeit'', Philipp von Zabern, 4th ed., Mainz, 1994 (Kulturgeschichte der Antiken Welt, Vol 4), especially p. 149-151,

External links

Name vase In classical archaeology, a name vase is a specific "vase"In the study of ancient Greek pottery a "vase" is a general term covering all pottery shapes. whose painter's name is unknown but whose workshop style has been identified. The painter is c ...

at th
RISD Museum of ArtWorks at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtWorks at the Getty Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence Painter 5th-century BC deaths Ancient Greek vase painters Anonymous artists of antiquity People from Attica Year of birth unknown