Ancient Greek Pottery Red figured, Bell krater by the Traporley Painter. Intact, TL test. Masterpiece. - (1)

Bell krater with a Niké crowning a warrior. CULTURE: Apulian, Magna Graecia PERIOD: 380-370 B. C. MATERIAL: Pottery DIMENSIONS: Height 34 cm H. , 33, cm diameter. PROVENANCE: Private Collection F. G. , Anwerp, Belgium. Previously collection of F. Coenen, Belgium. Previosly from the collection of André De Munter, Brussels, acquired during 1980's. CONDITION: This krater is perfect. There are no restorations or repair, the piece is INTACT and on perfect condition, with original luster shine. All colors are original and the piece is immaculate. DOCUMENTS: With a positive thermoluminescence test, Certificate of Authenticity and export license issued by the Ministry of Culture. DESCRIPTION: An Apulian Red-figured Bell Krater Attributed to the Tarporley Painter, circa 380-370 B. C. , painted with Nike holding a crown and fillet and approaching a rider holding a light shield emblazoned with an exploding star, the goddess wearing sandals, chiton, necklace, spiral bracelet, earrings, and sakkos, the reverse decorated with three draped youths, one holding a staff, a cruciform object in the field, a meander band below the scenes, a wreath beneath the rim. The depiction of the departure of the warriors is a common subject on the early apulian bell kraters, it was an important moment of all men who went to war and on our krater the image of Niké (the Victory) is bearing a laurel crown with the desire that the warrior now departing will came back victorious from the battle. The krater is a type of Greek pottery used to mix water and wine and from which cups were filled. It was moved to the space were a meal was to be eaten and was placed either on the ground or on a dais and the steward in charge of drawing the wine used a ladle to pour it into the guests’ cups. Kraters were mostly pottery, but some were made from precious metals, and were made in a variety of shapes according to the taste of the artist, although they did always have a wide mouth. The most widely occurring ones are column kraters, calyx kraters, bell kraters and volute ones. This example is from Apulia in the south of Italy mostly coincident with the modern province of Foggia and Mesapia to the south. From 320 BC Athens stopped exporting ceramics and only produced some vessels that were given as prizes to athletes in the Panathenaic Festivals. The ceramic produced by the Greek colonies in the Italian peninsula took the place of the Athenian ware in the Mediterranean market. Red-figure pottery was one of the most important figurative styles of Greek production. It developed in Athens around 530 BC and was used until the 3rd Century AD. In the space of a few decades it took over the place of the previous dominant style of black-figure pottery. The technical base was the same in both cases but in red-figure pottery the colouring is reversed so that the figures stand out on a dark background as if they were lit up in a more natural way. The painters who did black-figure work were forced to keep the motifs they painted well apart one from the other and to limit their complexity. In contrast, the red-figure technique gave much greater liberty. Each figure was silhouetted against a black background, allowing the painters to portray anatomical details with greater accuracy and variety. The technique consisted of painting the motifs on the vessels while they were still unfired using a transparent slip, which when fired took on a black coloration. In this manner the motifs were invisible before firing so that the painters had to work from memory without seeing their earlier work. Once the piece had been fired the zones which had not been covered by the slip retained the red colouring of the clay while the glossy areas, those that had been “painted, acquired a dense, brilliant black colour. The Tarporley Painter was a Greek Apulian red-figure vase painter. His works date to the first quarter of the 4th century BC. The Tarporley Painter is his period's most important representative of the so-called "Plain Style". He is considered to have been the pupil and successor of the Sisyphus Painter, as indicated by his elegant fine-limbed figures and the solemn facial expressions of his woman and cloaked youths. He painted garments in a less balanced style then the Sisyphus Painter. His heads are often oval and lean forwards. The spaces between his figures are often filled with flowers, branches or vines. Over time, his drawing style becomes more fluid, but also less precise. He painted especially on bell kraters, on which he often depicted dionysiac themes and theatrical scenes. His work includes the first known phlyax vase, showing the punishment of a thief, accompanied by a metric verse inscription. Mythological scenes by him are rare. There appears to be an especially close relationship between the work of the Tarporley Painter and that of the Dolon Painter, perhaps they cooperated directly for some time. His succession is represented by three separate schools, each clearly influenced by him. The most important painter of the first is the Schiller Painter, of the second the Hoppin Painter and of the third the Painter of Karlsruhe B9 and the Dijon Painter. BIBLIOGRAPHY: - MAYO, M. ed. The Art of South Italy, Vases from Magna Graecia. Richmond. 1982. - TRENDALL, A. D. Red Figure Vases of South Italy and Sicily. London, 1989. - TRENDALL, A. D. , CAMBITOGLOU, A. First Supplement to the Red-Figured Vases of Apulia. London, 1983. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged, he will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested.