Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique

Used for the storage and shipment of grains, wine, and other goods, as well as in the all-male Greek drinking party, known as the symposium, ancient Greek vases were decorated with a variety of subjects ranging from scenes of everyday life to the tales of heroes and gods. The two most popular techniques of vase decoration were the black-figure technique, so-named because the figures were painted black, and the red-figure technique, in which the figures were left the red color of the clay. The black-figure technique developed around 700 B.C. and remained the most popular Greek pottery figure style until about 530 B.C., when the red-figure technique was developed, eventually surpassing it in popularity. This video illustrates the techniques used in the making and decorating of a black-figure amphora (storage jar) in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection.

This video was produced with the generous support of a Long-Range Fund grant provided by the Community Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was created for LaunchPad, a program of digital interpretive materials that supplement the viewing of works of art on display in the Art Institute of Chicago's galleries.

Established in 2016 the business proprietor is Damon Revans-Turner, an antique dealer and time served cabinet maker by trade. A keen enthusiast of Victorian Staffordshire pottery for many years with experienced eyes for finding good quality and the unusual.

Damon has a particular love of portrait figures of the Victorian era particularly those produced by the Alpha factory, he will try to ensure that there will always be Alpha figures amongst the RTS stock-list.

RTS are happy to help the experienced collector to source a particular figure or figures following a theme or genre and the new collector (see “The New Collector”) who is seeking to learn about Staffordshire figures and either establish a new collection or add to an existing starter collection.