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Shannon Myers
A. Hinnenberg
Art 2.1
11/20/14
Analysis of an Oinochoai Vessel
This piece that I will be talking about is a vessel that was made by the Greek civilization.
This is clearly evident in the style that it was made and in the designs elements that I will be
describing. This piece is an Oinochoai, which is a type of jug that the Greeks used during feasts
as well as in their everyday lives. This style of Greek art started in 900 C. and lasted until around
600 BCE and it was the time of the geometric period. This period flourished in Greece; it came
with many new elemental styles that were abstract and strikingly different from everything that
had come before it.
This vessel comes from the Greek civilization. It was found in Delphi, Greece. Delphi is
the home of the temple of Apollo, which held the Oracle of Apollo. This vessel was found in the
Treasury of Cyrene. It was damaged, as are many things that are discovered from ancient times.
When the vessel was totally unearthed, it became evident that the handles were badly damaged.
The body of the vessel has a few holes in the lower body and a few chips in the upper body to the
lip of the vessel. After some care and cleaning, the vessel was able to be preserved. The thought
was originally to restore the parts of the vessel, but then it was decided to leave the vessel as it
was found. Once the vessel was cleaned the shape, of it was able to be identified as an
Oinochoai. This type of vessel was used in the everyday lives of the Greeks, from having it full
of wine to be served at banquets, to just using it every day in general. These vessels are similar to

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the Funerary vessels that the Greeks used to put their ashes in once they passed away to signify
their life. While the design elements are very similar, but Oinochoai designs are purely for
decoration.
The Oinochoai was made out of the typical material that was used for this type of vessel,
clay. There are many different ways that this piece could have been made. One of the most
common techniques used was called coiling. This simple process involved the maker forming
long coils of clay that he then took and stacked on top of each other, he would then press and
mold them together. The maker would then construct the form of the vessel using this same
method over and over again until it came to be the way he wanted it. Once the body of the vessel
was completed, the handles were added, by using a paste type of clay called slip and then they
were pressed on to the body of the vessel and molded there. The vessel was then fired at a high
temperature and then it would be painted with a varnish that was mixed with either a red, black
or white pigment. This particular vessel was varnished in red pigment with the design element
completed in black pigment.
This vessels designs were all very geometric. The design elements that were used were
very common for this styles period. They covered the entire body of the vessel and added volume
and size to its curvilinear form that the vessel already had. The hatching that was used added
balance to the vessel. There is, however a design element toward the top of the vessel that, at this
point, was only used by the Greeks. This design element on the vessel was called the Greek key
design. This was a newer design element that was to become a staple in Greek art and that is
still used in the present day. Although it is slightly different from the key design that was
shown on the other vessels it is what gave away the civilization that created this vessel, since this
is the civilization that invented the design. The other designs on the vessel were not designs that

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were particular to this type of vessel. Towards the bottom of the vessel there were sections of the
body that held another type of design that shows us differently between different creators, and
that is the geometric shape of a swastika as shown on figure 1-3, but on this vessel they show to
have a more floral like shape. The triangles shown on the vessel were a common design that the
Greeks often used. All the design element had different meanings on each type of vessel, but on
this vessel there is no specific meaning to the designs elements present. The geometric designs
were very typical of this time in the Greek and Attic area. While this was still a newer style, it
became one of the more popular designs of the time. The design elements on the vessel gave the
vessel more shape and helped to balance the vessel.
The vessel stood about one and a half feet tall and about one foot at the widest point of
the vessel. The vessel weighed about three pounds before being filled with wine or another
liquid. Typically this was a normal size for vessels like this. They would be place on top of a
table of pedestal so that they could be used as well as on display of any guests during a banquet
or another type of gathering. These vessels were sometimes a sign of wealth and the patron of the
vessel would have the creator add something that would personalize the vessel to themselves.
The coloring of the vessel was about what would be expected from a Greek pot or vessel.
The red clay and black varnish were used typical for what was seen in Greek, as well as in
Roman and Etruscan art. So, how can we be sure that this vessel is not Roman or Etruscan?
While the difference between theses styles is very slight it has everything to do with the
materials used. The Etruscans used a different type of clay called terra cotta, and the design
element that would have appeared on their vessels was slightly different than what is seen on this
Greek vessel. In regards to Roman pottery, it would have had the same coloring in addition to a
similar design element although many noticeable differences in the figures would have been

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present, and it also would have possessed a specific trait that is different from what is shown in
this Oinochoai.
The texture of the vessel would have felt smooth to the touch and would have been like
most pottery of this time. Before the vessel was finished it would need to be sanded and
decorated, and then it would have been fired in a kiln to about 900-1000 degrees C. This firing
would solidify the vessel and lock the design and pigment into the vessel. The design on the pot
would have to be done with meticulous care and patience, because each part of the design would
have to coincide with another part of the geometric design. The design on the vessel was almost
as important as the vessel, itself, because the design was believed to give the vessel or pot life.
This type of vessel was important because it was a part of their culture and served a
practical purpose. The uses for this type of vessel would be considered endless for us today, but
in ancient times they had specific uses. These vessels were used for their banquets and in
everyday life. They typically held wine and or water. Specifically when this vessel was used for
wine or water, the drink that was being served from it at the banquets was ladled from the vessel
and is put in the cylix (Greek cup). Similar vessels were used at the funeral of the person who
had created it. They were called Funerary vessels and stood to mark a spot in the ground. They
were about five feet high, three feet wide and often had to be lifted and moved by two people at a
time when they were full.
This vessel is a good example of Greek pottery because it possesses all the key elements
that tie it to the Greek civilization. Whether in the Greek key design, the body of the vessel, or
even the materials, it all links to the Greeks. Since the Geometric style was new to the Greeks,
they accepted it and made it something to be proud of. They were able to apply the geometric
style to their civilization and create their own meaning to the different types of designs their

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pottery. They used the geometric style on all of their different types of pottery whether it was on
a plate, cup, or a funerary vessel, the geometric style was a significant part of the ancient Greeks
history. This geometric style is still used by some artists today in pottery as well as in painting,
although in painting it is called cubism.

1.

Works Cited
Boardman, John. The History of Greek Vases. New York: Thames & Hudson,

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2001. Print.
Lane, Arthur. Greek Pottery. 3rd ed. London: Faber & Faber, 1971. Print.
Lissarrague, Francois. Greek Vases: The Athenians and Their Images. Italy:

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Riverside Book Company, 2001. Print

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W. Cothren. Art History. Vol. 2. New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc, 2011. Print.
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W. Cothren. Art History. Vol. 2. New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc, 2011. Print.

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6.

The VIntage Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

<http://thevintagegallery.blogspot.com/2014/09/ a-ceramica-grega-parte-2-

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formas.html>.
Art History 2010: Greek Pottery. Laura Shefler, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
<http://laurashefler.net/arthistory2010/?page_id=7>.
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main_page=product_info&products_id=224&language=el>.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grge/hd_grge.htm>.