Dipylon Master
The Dipylon Master was an ancient Greek vase painter who was active from around 760-750 BCE. He worked in Athens, where he and his workshop produced large funerary vessels for those interred in the Dipylon cemetery, whence his name comes. His work belongs to the very Late stage of the Geometric Style, his vases served as grave markers and libation receptacles for aristocratic graves and as such are decorated with a depiction of the prothesis scene representing the mourning of the deceased. Almost 50 vases have been attributed to the Dipylon Master and his workshop. His works are among the first figural scenes to be found on vases in Greece since the collapse of the Mycenean palace culture.
Themes of the Dipylon Vase - The picture on the right is a Dipylon Vase created in 750 B.C. The vase depicts a dead man surrounded by approximately 40 to 50 male and female mourners. Based on the pictures, we can see that the males and females are performing a similar type of gesture by pulling tearing their hair. On the bottom, there are chariots driving by with other military units. There are also military ships floating preoccupied by hoplites. It appears that the dead person may be part of the army, who has fallen during the a war.
References
- Roisman, Joseph, and translated by J.C Yardley, Ancient Greece from Homer to Alexander (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2011) ISBN 1405127767
- Boardman, J. Early Greek Vase Painting: 11th-6th Centuries BC: A Handbook (World of Art). London: Thames and Hudson Publishing, May 1998. ISBN 0500203091 (ISBN 9780500203095).