Oh, you ought to remind yourselves of what the Greeks used calyx kraters for. Now let's look at the detail of the vase. After this, Niobe wept for nine days and nights, then the gods buried the bodies of her children, and turned her into a large rock on Mount Sipylus. This they did, and it is this which is portrayed on the vase. Leto was somewhat outraged by this and sent her two children to kill all the children of Niobe (the word NIOBID means 'child of Niobe). She boasted that this made her better than Leto, who had had only two children, the deities Artemis and Apollo (their father of course was Zeus). Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus, a king in Asia Minor and the wife of Amphion, King of Thebes, by whom she had 12 children (6 of each). *To further clarify the name of the painter, it is worthwhile telling the story of Niobe, from which he got his name, and which is also the story on the B side of the vase.Although he painted many others, this is the one which he is most famous for. Firstly the name of the painter: he is named after this particular vase, or rather the scene that he painted on it. There is much uncertainty surrounding this vase which we will need to become aware of. Date: 455-450 BC Type: Calyx Krater-Red figure Potter: Unknown Painter: 'Niobid Painter' Height: 54cms Diameter of Mouth: 55cms Subject: Side A: ? Side B: Slaughter of the children of Niobe by the children of Leto (Artemis and Apollo).Through the introduction and removal of oxygen in the kiln and, simultaneously, the increase and decrease in temperature, the slip transformed into a glossy black color. At this point, the unpainted zones of the vessel became red again while the vitrified slip (the painted areas) retained a glossy black hue.
Finally, in the last stage, the vents were reopened and oxidizing conditions returned inside the kiln.
Next, by sealing the vents and increasing temperature to around 900-950° centigrade, everything turned black and the areas painted with the slip vitrified (transformed into a glassy substance). At this point, the entire vase turned red in color. First, the temperature was stoked to about 800° centigrade and vents allowed for an oxidizing environment. Not only did the pots have to be stacked in the kiln in a specific manner, but the conditions inside had to be precise. To produce the characteristic red and black colors found on vases, Greek craftsmen used liquid clay as paint (termed “slip”) and perfected a complicated three-stage firing process.
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