Produced by Richard Tonsing, Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
The appreciation of beautiful form, with the ability to create it, which was characteristic of the Greek people, is nowhere better illustrated than in the shapes of their pottery. These vases—the jars, dishes, and cups made for household and religious use—were designed with intelligent skill to serve their purpose in the most effective fashion, and are valued for their fine shapes no less than for their interesting and beautiful decoration.
The following reproductions of the most important shapes in use among Athenian potters during the sixth and fifth centuries B. C. will show with what care the relation of the height to the width and the proportion of the parts to the whole were designed with a view to harmonious effect, and how skilfully the forms of the neck, the mouth, and the foot, and the position of the handles were planned for practical use.
The vases have been selected where possible from the collection in this Museum; but when a certain shape was not represented here or conspicuously better examples were available elsewhere, vases in other collections have been included. Unless otherwise stated the vases here illustrated are in this Museum.
AMPHORA. Two-handled jar for holding provisions.
Black-figured type with heavy lip and cylindrical handles. The decoration is usually painted in panels, back and front, the rest of the body being black. ]
Panathenaic amphora given as a prize in the games at Athens. ]
Black-figured type with curving lip and ribbed handles. The decoration extends over the surface of the vase. ]
Black-figured amphora of the same general type as the preceding, but broader and heavier. ]
Amphora with short neck and long body. The form of the handles is copied from metal technique. ]
Amphora with high, finely curving handles and black figures on a white body.
Black-figured amphora; slender neck and egg-shaped body. A rather unusual form. Owned by Albert Gallatin. ]
Nolan amphora with elongated neck and egg-shaped body. Form characteristic of the red-figured technique of the early fifth century. ]