User:ArchaiOptix/Cretan pottery from the beginnings to the end of the bronze age

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Dear visitor,
welcome to this partition of my picture gallery.
For my picture galleries about other object categories of ancient art please turn to my general user page (link on the top of this page).

Old Satyr Marsyas with ivy wreath

About me:
I am teaching Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin), Theology, modern Greek and Italian. I am particularly interested in Archaeology and History of Ancient Art. One of my other hobbies is photography. Combining these two hobbies I take lots of pictures in museums and archaeological sites and catalogue the photos according to the scientific literature.

About this picture gallery:
Under the relevant categories (of museums and painting styles) and more systematically on this user page I share a selection of my photos of ancient art.
The site is under construction since January 2020.
I thank all directors of museums who permit photography of the exhibits for private, educational, scientific, non-commercial purposes, thus spreading the knowledge of their treasures in a wider public. I hope that my photos published on wikimedia commons act also as an incentive to visit these museums and admire the works of art directly. Therefore editing the photos I refrain from replacing the background, so that the objects can be seen as displayed in the museum. If you intend to use one of my photos for commercial aims, I would recommend you to contact the museum.

Cretan pottery from the beginnings to the end of the bronze age

[edit]

decorative styles in roughly chronological order
subdivided according to location of workshop or findspot (from west to east)

abbreviations of the chronological phases:
EN early neolithic
MN middle neolithic
LN late neolithic
FN final neolithic / chalcolithic
EM early minoan
MM middle minoan
LM late minoan
SM subminoan

Since the dating and even the nomenclature of these phases is still controversial, absolute dates are rarely given. My attributions to specific phases are not allways trustworthy.

early neolithic

[edit]
plain ware
[edit]

middle neolithic

[edit]
plain ware
[edit]

late neolithic

[edit]
plain ware
[edit]
incised ware
[edit]

final neolithic

[edit]
plain ware
[edit]
incised ware
[edit]

early minoan I

[edit]
fine dark gray burnished ware including the Pyrgos style
[edit]
wiped and / or washed ware
[edit]
red on light painted ware including the Hagios Onouphrios style: EM I(-II)
[edit]
white paint on red slip ware including the Lebena style: EM I(-IIA)
[edit]
red slip ware (unpainted): EM I(-IIA)
[edit]

early minoan I-II

[edit]
dark on light painted semifine and coarse ware
[edit]

early minoan II

[edit]
unpainted fine ware including plastic vases
[edit]

early minoan II(A)

[edit]
dark on light ware including the Koumasa style: EM II(A)
[edit]

early minoan II(-III)

[edit]
mottled ware: the Vasiliki style
[edit]

early minoan III - transition to middle minoan I

[edit]
dark on light ware
[edit]
white / light on dark slip ware: the white style: EM III - MM I
[edit]
slipped, burnished and relief-decorated ware
[edit]
plastic vases
[edit]

middle minoan I / prepalatial and early protopalatial period

[edit]
Pre-Kamares style: MM I A or B
[edit]

middle minoan IB / early protopalatial period

[edit]
vases with relief- and applique-decoration
[edit]

middle minoan IB-IIA / earlier protopalatial period

[edit]
Kamares style with barbotine decoration
[edit]
early Kamares style
[edit]

middle minoan II / later protopalatial period

[edit]
vases with relief- and applique-decoration
[edit]

provincial dark on light painted ware

[edit]

middle minoan IIB / late protopalatial period

[edit]
vases with incised decoration
[edit]
(classical) Kamares style: MM II(B)
[edit]

tentatively subdivided according to the decoration technique: fabric ("ground"),slip, ceramic colours ("paint"), way of application of the colour (painting / printing), relief and / or appliqué decoration
I. dark slip, indended to be lustrous black (firing sometimes more or less dull, partially tending towards dark brown or brownish orange) covering the whole (outside / visible) surface of the vessel
I.A. white painting on dark (black / brown) slip

I.B. white painting on dark (black / brown) slip, with impressed (stamped) relief

I.C. white and orange and / or red painting on dark (black) slip

I.D. white and orange and / or red painting on dark (black / brown) slip, with relief and / or appliqué decoration

II. intentionally(?) mottled black and brownish-orange slip covering the whole (outside / visible) surface of the vessel
II.A. white wash wiped over the mottled black and brownish-orange slip

III. (intentionally) violet / brownish-orange / reddish-brown / pink slip covering the whole (outside / visible) surface of the vessel
III.A. white painting on violet / brownish-orange /reddish-brown / pink slip

III.B. white and orange and / or red painting on violet / brownish-orange /reddish-brown / pink slip

III.C. dark and white and orange and / or red painting on violet / brownish-orange /reddish-brown / pink slip

III.D. white and orange and / or red painting on violet / brownish-orange slip, with relief and / or appliqué decoration

IV. dark (black / brown) slip covering defined zones / surfaces of the vessel (often framed by white lines)
IV.A. white paint on the dark slipped surfaces

IV.B. white and orange or red paint on the dark slipped surfaces

IV.C. white and orange paint on the dark slipped surfaces and dark (and white) paint on the unslipped (reserved) surfaces

V. unslipped vases
V.A. dark paint painted on buff ground

V.B. dark paint printed on buff ground

V.C. dark and white paint painted on buff ground

middle minoan III / earlier neopalatial period

[edit]
Post-Kamares style
[edit]
plastic rhyta
[edit]
dark on light splash and trickle style
[edit]

middle minoan IIIA / early neopalatial period

[edit]
vases with relief- and applique-decoration
[edit]
unpainted vessels
[edit]

late minoan I

[edit]
faience plastic rhyta
[edit]

late minoan IA

[edit]
fine ware painted dark on light including lustrous slippped ware and the first phase of the floral style
[edit]
fine dark on light painted ware with additional white (slipped or unslipped)
[edit]
fine dark and red / orange on light painted ware (slipped or unslipped)
[edit]
semi-fine / coarse ware painted dark on light
[edit]
fine ware painted dark on light ground (slipped or unslipped) with plastic decoration
[edit]
plastic vases (rhyta) painted dark on light (with or without additional white): LM IA
[edit]

late minoan IB

[edit]
plastic vases (rhyta) painted dark on light (with or without additional white): LM IB
[edit]
standard tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]

The transitions between the following styles of fine palace pottery are fluent, often the same workshop will have produced vases with different decorative compositions ("styles").

marine style of the palatial tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]

attributed to a specific painter:
the main workshop of the marine style:
Painter of the Pilgrim Flask

Painter of Herakleion 2085

Polyp Painter / other painter(s) of the main marine style workshop

painters outside the main workshop of the marine style:
Painter of the Triton-Amphora

vases of the marine style without attribution to a specific painter (arranged by findspot)

floral style of the palatial tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]

attributed to a specific painter:
Palm Tree Painter

Reed Painter (and his workshop)

vases of the floral style without attribution to a specific painter (arranged by findspot)

workshop of the combined spirals: the palatial tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]
abstract and geometric style of the palatial tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]

attributed to a specific painter or workshop:
Zigzag Workshop

vases of the abstract and geometric style without attribution to a specific painter or workshop (arranged by findspot)

alternating style of the palatial tradition of dark on light ware: LM IB
[edit]

late minoan II

[edit]
palace style (dark on light ware) of LM II at Knossos and Katsambas: large vases
[edit]
palace style (dark on light ware) of LM II: smaller vases
[edit]

late minoan III

[edit]

late minoan IIIA

[edit]
clay sarcophagi (larnakes) LM IIIA
[edit]
dark on light ware: LM IIIA
[edit]
dark on light lustrous and relief ware: LM IIIA
[edit]

late minoan IIIA1

[edit]
dark on light ware: LM IIIA1
[edit]

late minoan IIIA2

[edit]
dark on light painted plastic rhyta: LM IIIA2
[edit]
dark on light ware: LM IIIA2
[edit]

late minoan IIIA-B

[edit]
clay sarcophagi (larnakes) LM IIIA-B
[edit]

late minoan IIIB

[edit]
clay sarcophagi (larnakes) LM IIIB
[edit]
dark on light painted or dark slipped plastic rhyta: LM IIIB
[edit]
dark on light ware with plastic appiqué decoration: LM IIIB
[edit]
dark on light ware: LM IIIB
[edit]

late minoan IIIC

[edit]
clay sarcophagi (larnakes) LM IIIC
[edit]
dark on light painted plastic rhyta: LM IIIC
[edit]
dark on light ware: LM IIIC
[edit]

subminoan

[edit]
dark on light painted plastic rhyta: SM
[edit]