A guide to ancient Greek vases

For a civilisation that receded 2,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks left a great deal behind: philosophy, democracy, poetry, architecture — and an extensive corpus of vases, which comprise a large part of the archaeological record.

The durability, elegance and variety of Greek vases mean that they are as collectable today as when prize examples first began to be actively unearthed during the rise of the Grand Tour in the 17th and 18th centuries. Indeed, their enduring popularity is reflected in the breadth of their influence on modern and contemporary art — as seen in the pottery of Grayson Perry and Picasso, and in the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico and Jonas Wood.

There are many excellent examples of Greek vases on the market, but prospective buyers are advised to tread carefully when it comes to restoration, repairs and provenance. Here, Christie’s Antiquities specialist Hannah Solomon offers her top tips for new collectors.

From small kylikes (cups) to enormous kraters (mixing vessels), Greek pottery varies greatly in size and style. Familiarise yourself as much as possible with these differences, which are of great importance in determining the rarity and value of a piece.

As a rule, larger pieces in good condition will sell for the highest prices, while smaller pieces are more likely to survive and are therefore more widely available on the market. The range of forms that we are familiar with today mostly evolved around the 6th century B.C., including the elegant lekythos, olpe and amphora shapes that can often be seen at auction.

One of the first things a collector should consider is the condition of a vase. It is possible to find examples that have remained intact through the centuries, but they are very rare. If a vase has been repaired, it’s important to look carefully at the extent of the damage and the quality of the restoration.

Is it made up of big fragments or small ones? How much restoration is visible? If a vase is in fragments, are all the original pieces still there or have they been filled in? Has anything been repainted? The more restoration and repainting you can identify, the more careful you should be in terms of value.

A relatively small number of Attic vases bear the signature of the artist or of the potter; potter and painter were not always one and the same, but they could be.

Many vase painters remain anonymous, but enough examples of their work survive to have enabled scholars to identify these unique personalities. The Oxford scholar John Beazley assigned names based on the modern location of that artist’s best vase, as in the ‘Berlin Painter’, or based on the subject matter on one of their best vases, as in the ‘Meleager Painter’.

Attribution to a particular hand increases the value of a vase, while a piece bearing the signature of an artist or potter is even more special. In October 2020, Christie’s sold an Attic red-figured kylix signed by the potter Hieron and attributed to the painter Makron, who was considered among the finest vase-painters of his generation. The kylix realized $1,830,000, the highest price achieved for an Attic vase at auction.

Different shapes served different functions. Many early Greek vases were made to order — to mark the death of a nobleman, for example. Vases would often be buried with the deceased, or perhaps used as a grave marker.

Calyx-kraters were used to mix wine with water — the ancient Greeks did not drink their wine undiluted as we do today — and vessels called oinochoai were used for serving it. The highly sought-after Panathenaic amphorae were given to top athletes filled with the purest of oils, which was far more highly prized than the container itself.

As with any work of art, the provenance of a Greek vase is very important. Ideally, it should be possible to trace a vase from the point of excavation — sometimes as early as the 17th century — to the present day.

If a piece has passed through the hands of a notable 18th- or 19th-century collector such as Thomas Hope, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Sir William Hamilton or Thomas Jenkins, it adds significant value that will not diminish over time. Vases from important 20th-century collections are also highly prized.

The above amphora was formerly in the Pizzati Collection of Florence. It was first published in a drawing by Eduard Gerhard in 1843. It then shortly thereafter entered the collection of Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton (1790-1851) at Castle Ashby. The collection of vases as Castle Ashby was described by Beazley as ‘the richest private collection in Great Britain and one of the richest in the world.’

The 8 October sale of Arms and Armour from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Part II features an Attic hydria that was formerly owned by the Romantic poet, banker and prolific collector Samuel Rogers (1763-1855). While Rogers’ estate was dispersed at auction at Christie’s London after his death, this vase remained in his family until 1966.

Decoration can tell you a lot about the age and origins of a vase, and can add considerably to its value. Some of the earliest pieces from the Archaic Period (around the 9th-7th century B.C.) feature mainly geometric designs and natural forms, occasionally including stylised warriors and iconic combat scenes. As Greek painters perfected their techniques, compositions became more elaborate and daring, usually depicting mythological subjects, banquets and athletes.

Many Greek cities produced vases in this period. Corinth was the dominant city at first, but Athens, with its superior clay and more adventurous artists, became the leading centre for vase production from about 550 to 400 B.C.

Attic black-figured vases can be dated as far back as the 7th century B.C., while the red-figured style evolved later. It was also adopted by the Greek colonies in southern Italy, which developed a unique style of their own.

The earliest southern Italian vases are almost indistinguishable from their Athenian prototypes, but over the course of the 4th century B.C. the different schools (Lucanian, Apulian, Campanian, Paestan and Sicilian) developed their own styles. Southern Italian vases are not as highly sought-after by collectors, which means that larger, more elaborate examples can be acquired for lower prices than you would pay for comparable pieces made in Athens.

While elements such as the colour of the clay can hint at the geographical origin and period of a vase, a thermoluminescence test can also be undertaken to date a vessel reliably.

The market for Greek vases has always been strong, and recently we have seen collectors buying ancient pieces to sit alongside cutting-edge contemporary art. Smaller pieces start from around £2,000/$2,500, while larger and rarer pieces can sell for hundreds of thousands.

If you really want to develop an eye for Greek vases, the best thing you can do is to see as many examples as possible. Many major museums have splendid collections, such as the British Museum in London, the Antikensammlung in Berlin, the Louvre in Paris, the Naples National Archaeological Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A good introduction to the subject can be found in The History of Greek Vases by Sir John Boardman (Thames and Hudson).