Athens ANM 804 - I: The Dipylon Amphora
The Dipylon amphora summarizes all the achievements of Geometric art. It embodies both the culmination of the earlier, purely abstract style and the inauguration of the new figural style, the first consistent representational style in Greek art. Its shape is one of utmost refinement: the full ovoid contour tapers gracefully to a low foot; the tall, slightly flaring neck, at roughly one third the total height of the vase, is perfectly proportioned to counterbalance the heavier form of the vase body; two double-loop handles on either side of the belly emphasize the point of widest girth.
Ornament takes cognizance of the form which it covers, aiding our comprehension of the vase as a sculptural entity. Meander zones of various types, simple, complex, and battlement, spread over the surface of the vase like a close-fitting net, their ”weight" determined by their location on the vase: narrow bands of simple meander and other subsidiary ornaments point up the juncture of neck and body and the region tapering to the foot below; wider bands of more complex meander girdle the neck, the belly, and the shoulder; finally, the widest decorative zone, which coincides with the point of greatest tension on the vase, the belly between the handles, is reserved for the most important decorative element, the representational frieze. The scene depicts the prothesis of a woman surrounded by female mourners, as well as two warriors armed with swords who appear at the far left of the composition on the front of the vase. Other female and male figures are confined to a narrow frieze between the handles on each side, as well as beneath them and the effect is understated, restrained, even a bit austere.
Source: Barbara E. Bohen, “The Dipylon Amphora: Its Role in the Development of Greek Art”
Athenian geometric belly-handled amphora
H. 83 cm; D. 29 cm
Attributed to The Dipylon Painter
760 – 750 BC
From Kerameikos cemetery, Athens
Athens, National Museum, inv. 804
Athens ANM 804 - I: The Dipylon Amphora
The Dipylon amphora summarizes all the achievements of Geometric art. It embodies both the culmination of the earlier, purely abstract style and the inauguration of the new figural style, the first consistent representational style in Greek art. Its shape is one of utmost refinement: the full ovoid contour tapers gracefully to a low foot; the tall, slightly flaring neck, at roughly one third the total height of the vase, is perfectly proportioned to counterbalance the heavier form of the vase body; two double-loop handles on either side of the belly emphasize the point of widest girth.
Ornament takes cognizance of the form which it covers, aiding our comprehension of the vase as a sculptural entity. Meander zones of various types, simple, complex, and battlement, spread over the surface of the vase like a close-fitting net, their ”weight" determined by their location on the vase: narrow bands of simple meander and other subsidiary ornaments point up the juncture of neck and body and the region tapering to the foot below; wider bands of more complex meander girdle the neck, the belly, and the shoulder; finally, the widest decorative zone, which coincides with the point of greatest tension on the vase, the belly between the handles, is reserved for the most important decorative element, the representational frieze. The scene depicts the prothesis of a woman surrounded by female mourners, as well as two warriors armed with swords who appear at the far left of the composition on the front of the vase. Other female and male figures are confined to a narrow frieze between the handles on each side, as well as beneath them and the effect is understated, restrained, even a bit austere.
Source: Barbara E. Bohen, “The Dipylon Amphora: Its Role in the Development of Greek Art”
Athenian geometric belly-handled amphora
H. 83 cm; D. 29 cm
Attributed to The Dipylon Painter
760 – 750 BC
From Kerameikos cemetery, Athens
Athens, National Museum, inv. 804