Black-figured neck-amphora, signed by the potter Andokides; attributed to the painter Psiax

Greek, about 530-520 BC
Made in Athens, Greece; from Vulci in Etruria (now in Lazio, Italy)

Dionysos with satyrs

Andokides was one of the most successful potters of late sixth-century Athens. The shapes of his vases were not very innovative, although this particular amphora is unusual, with its handles reaching right up on to the rim. Andokides's flair lay rather in his choice of painters and, perhaps, in his encouragement of new techniques of decoration, most importantly red-figure. The delicate, small-scale, black-figure work on this vase has been attributed to the painter Psiax, one of the first painters to work also in red-figure. Another more influential painter who worked in red-figure on larger vases potted by Andokides was an anonymous artist known as the Andokides Painter.

The Andokides who signed this pot may well be the same Andokides whose name appears (with that of another potter) on a marble inscription on a statue base found on the Athenian Acropolis. If so, his potting had certainly made him rich as only the rich could afford to dedicate bronze or marble statues.

L. Burn, The British Museum book of Gre (London, The British Museum Press, 1991)

D. Williams, Greek vases (London, The British Museum Press, 1999)