Greek painted vases are part of the craft art, but they are much more than that because some of them are true works of art. Little of the painting of ancient Greece has been preserved, and therefore vases are a valuable material source for studying Greek painting, while also providing interesting information about the religion, customs, and everyday life of the ancient Greeks.
In the development of Greek painting, we can observe several developmental phases that differ in style and painting technique.
The Exekias, Dionysus Ship, painting on a shallow dish, around 530 BC, Munich.
Vases were made in specialized workshops and were the work of potters and painters, some of whom left their signatures.
Exekias created, approximately, between 550-525 BC. Unfortunately, there is no preserved information about his life, but he left his mark in time through his work and art. He was a potter and a painter and introduced innovations in both fields of work. He explored new forms of vessels. Sixteen of his signed works have been preserved, along with many others that are either attributed to him or were created under his influence.
Among his more famous works is the so-called Dionysus’ boat, which is currently being preserved in Munich. The interior depicts the god Dionysus on the boat. A coral red coating fills the entire space. The bottom of the vessel serves as the surface for the main scenario: pirates captured the boat on which Dionysus was traveling to Athens and intended to sell him into slavery. However, the god made a vine grow from the mast, which overwhelmed the pirates. Whoever got scared jumped into the sea and turned into dolphins.
Eksekija’s signature on the vase: ΕΧΣΕΚΙΑΣΕΠΟΙΕΣΕ (Eksekija made [me]), around 550-540 BC, Louvre.
Eksekija signs the vase with the words: Eksekija made it.