Pelike ca. 510-500 B.C.E.

Storage Jar (Pelike), anonymous artist, Athens, Greece, ca. 510-500 B.C.E., terracotta paired with a textured black paint, Art Institute, Chicago. Pottery in the ancient world was utilized for many purposes and decorated with many techniques. One of the most popular was the black-figure method, which can be seen here on this storage pot. Developed in Corinth, this technique was widely used during the Archaic period. The most common way to achieve this was through the usage of gloss, made up of purified clay. The areas that were supposed to be black would be covered. Periodically, artists of this time would follow a set of practice sketches that were scraped into the ground of the pottery piece with a tool. Highlights, shadows, and numerous other details would be achieved by cutting the gloss and exposing light-toned clay. If one wanted to add color, one would wait and apply a pigment mixture. After a few steps necessary to fire the piece, the gloss turned a dark gray, almost black. As glaze is today, if done correctly, it gave off a shiny appearance. The process vital to the creation of a successful poetry piece can be seen here, as the artist illustrates a vivid scene. A young woman dances to the songs of male musicians and their instruments, an aulos and a Barbiton. The dog adds a needed sense of naturalism and fluidity to the scene.