Niobid Painter

flourished с 475–450 BC, Greece

Greek vase painter, named for a calyx krater showing the death of the children of Niobe.

Because the Niobid Painter made a deliberate effort to express space and depth by arranging figures on different levels, the vessel is thought to reflect the innovative technique of the now lost mural paintings of Polygnotus.

Apollo and Artemis killing the children of Niobe, red-figure calyx krater by the Niobid Painter, c. ...

Cliche Musees Nationaux, Paris

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▪ Greek artist

flourished c. 475–450 BC

 

 painter of flower-shaped Greek (Greek pottery) vases, named for a calyx krater (mixing bowl) with a representation of the death of the children of Niobe, now at the Louvre Museum, Paris. The vessel is thought to reflect the innovative technique of the now lost mural paintings of Polygnotus, another Greek painter of the 5th century BC.

      In the scene of the death of the children of Niobe and in the scene of Athena and Heracles on the other side of the krater, the Niobid Painter has arranged his figures so that they are set on different levels, suggesting different ground lines by means of a fine, painted white line. Landscape setting, too, is suggested: Athena and Heracles appear to be standing on a hilly terrain. Apparently, the Niobid Painter made a deliberate attempt to express space and depth.

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