The Phiale Painter was a painter of the Attic

Attica

Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...

 red-figure

Red-figure pottery

Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 530 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of Black-figure vase painting within a few decades...

 style. He was active around 460 to 430 BC. The Phiale Painter is assumed to have been a pupil of the Achilles Painter

Achilles Painter

The Achilles Painter, was a vase-painter active ca. 470-420 BC. His name vase is an amphora in the Vatican museums depicting Achilles. Sir John Beazley attributed over 200 vases to his hand, the largest share being red-figure and white-ground lekythoi. In his middle phase , he decorates more open...

. In contrast to his master, he liked to depict narrative scenes. He painted several large chalice krater

Krater

A krater was a large vase used to mix wine and water in Ancient Greece.-Form and function:...

s, often with two registers of figures; unlike his master, he seems to have preferred larger vessels in general. This is shown by his white-ground

White Ground Technique

White-ground technique is a style of ancient Greek vase painting in which figures appear on a white background. It developed in the region of Attica.-Technique and style:...

 works, which are not well known, but more expressive than those of the Achille Painter. Apart from a number of lekythoi

Lekythos

A lekythos is a type of Greek pottery used for storing oil , especially olive oil. It has a narrow body and one handle attached to the neck of the vessel. The lekythos was used for anointing dead bodies of unmarried men and many lekythoi are found in tombs. The images on lekythoi were often...

, he painted two chalice kraters in white-ground technique, a rarity at the time. His themes may be partially influenced by contemporary theatre. His preferred name for kalos inscriptions

Kalos inscription

The Kalos inscription was a form of epigraph found on Attic vases and graffiti in antiquity, common between 550 and 450 BC, and usually found on symposion vessels. The word καλός means "beautiful"; here it had an erotic connotation, and the inscription took the form of a youth's name, in the...

 is that of Euaion, son of Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...

. His conventional name is based on the fact that a painted phiale

Phiale (libation vessel)

A phiale is the name given in modern terminology to a kind of ancient Greek ceramic or metallic vessel. Its form was that of a wide round shallow bowl without handles or a foot , principally used for making libations ....

, a vase shape rarely equipped with figural depictions, is known from him.

Source of translation