Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum was the first project of the Union Académique Internationale, founded in 1919 with the intention of publishing all ancient pottery in fascicules dedicated to individual wares. The first volume, Louvre 1, came out in 1922. Since then, CVA has been published by participating national academies under the aegis of the UAI. It soon became apparent that the publication of all ancient ceramics was impracticable and CVA now concentrates on Greek and related figure-decorated wares. The small photographs and briefest of descriptions of the earlier tomes have given way to large comprehensive illustrations, including profile drawings, and exhaustive commentaries. Scholars selected for their expertise in vase painting now record measurements, weight, volume, provenance and inscriptions, provide meticulous descriptions of the state of preservation, restorations, patterns and figure-decoration, and compile complete bibliographies for each object.
For political reasons, Germany joined the CVA project rather late; the first volume, Bonn 1, was printed in 1938. The German series is now directed by the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften and numbers over 100 volumes, the latest of which boast colour plates. It is one of the many strengths of CVA that it gives access to all vases in public and private collections, not only selected highlights, which is particularly valuable in the case of the world's best collections, which can offer a wide and representative range of vases. The volume under review, the 102nd in the German series and the 17th (18th in the introduction) devoted to the Antikensammlung Berlin, publishes 113 black-figure and black-figure white-ground lekythoi in the collection, completing the catalogue series of lekythoi in Berlin (West-Berlin, I. Wehgartner [1991]; once East-Berlin, Zimmermann-Elseify [2011]; Red-Figure, Zimmermann-Elseify [2013]) and complementing CVA Athens, National Museum 6 (E. Serbeti); Gela, National Museum 3 (F. Giudice); Heidelberg, University 4 (H. Gropengiesser); Leiden, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden 2 (M. Vos); and Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum 3 (W. van de Put).
A brief introduction and acknowledgements and an extensive bibliography are followed by a concise and highly informed discussion of the history, distribution, development of shapes, iconography, use and collection history of black-figure lekythoi based on and supported by the objects presented in the catalogue. The placement of the disquisition on lekythoi makes the volume useful to students and non-experts. The catalogue lists 10 Deianeira and Sub-Deianeira type vessels, shoulder lekythoi, and, necessarily briefly, 27 lekythoi the whereabouts of which are unknown, and one lekythos destroyed in the Second World War. The containers in the main body of the text are illustrated on 80 magnificent colour plates, their profiles are recorded on 13 Beilagen. Four missing lekythoi and the lekythos F 2003 in the state before its restoration are published in black-and-white images on Beilage 14. Drawings of inscriptions and X-ray images of selected vases are incorporated in the text. A concordance of inventory numbers and indexes of find places, previous owners, measurements (height and weight), technical peculiarities, picture subjects, inscriptions, and potters and painters offer easy access to the catalogue entries.
Attic potters in the workshop of the Gorgon Painter introduced the Deianeira type lekythos with echinus foot and rounded shoulder in the early sixth century BCE by adapting the Corinthian alabastron. Relatively few early lekythoi of this type have been found, the Antikensammlung houses two, one attributed to the Gorgon Painter (F 3764) and the name vase of the Painter of Berlin F 1659. Around the middle of the sixth century a number of workshops specialised in the shape, among them the Pharos Painter (F 1738) and the painters of the Blackneck Class (F 1739, 1740, 1993.230). A new type of oil flask, the shoulder lekythos with an offset shoulder and a body tapering towards the echinus-shaped foot, was introduced around 570, probably by the workshop of the C-Painter. It quickly became more popular than the Deianeira Lekythos, production of which appears to have ended in the third quarter of the sixth century. Shoulder lekythoi were decorated by, amongst others, cup painters such as the Taleides Painter (F 1743). In the second half of the sixth century several workshops specialised in the shape; the Antikensammlung owns examples from the Dolphin (33720) and Fat Runner (F 1751) groups.
Around 530, the date of the introduction of the red-figure technique, artists added the cylinder lekythos with a funnel-shaped mouth, offset shoulder, cylindrical body and disc-shaped foot or foot in two degrees to their repertoire, and produced white-ground versions of that shape from around 510. The period between 530 and 480 was the heyday of black-figure lekythoi, which were produced by, for example, the Leagros Group (F 1961) and by workshops specialising in the shape, the Phanyllis (F 1745–1749, 32705, 33537) and Cock (F 1941, 1945) groups. When red-figure painters began to decorate large cylinder lekythoi in larger numbers, the black-figure technique became limited to small vases, which were made in large quantities in specialist workshops, not yet fully explored, among them the Class of Athens 581, of which the Antikensammlung houses fifteen examples, and the Sappho and Diosphos painters (four specimens).
The Sappho Painter may have invented the Little-Lion shape with an echinus or funnel-shaped mouth, short neck, wide, offset shoulder and stocky body; the Diosphos Painter lent his name to vases of the shape DL with a deep funnel-shaped and later deep chalice-shaped mouth, offset shoulder and a cylindrical body tapering in an s-shaped curve towards the foot in two degrees. From about 490 to 450 their work was continued by the Haimon Painter (5) and his circle (16), the Beldam Painter (F 1966, 1984) and his workshop (8), and the Emporion Painter (F 2010), who produced paintings of fairly low quality. The Beldam Painter's lekythoi have disc feet, and the body curves inwards below the offset shoulder. The potters of the workshops of the Haimon Group, and the workshops of the Haimon and Beldam Painters also produced chimney lekythoi. Z.-E. omits the names of the Cactus, Gela, Theseus and Athena painters in the brief chronological discussion of workshops.
Black-figure lekythoi were bought in considerable quantities in Athens and Attica, Boeotia and Rhodes, the most important market was Italy, particularly Sicily; small numbers reached almost all other parts of the ancient world. The Phanyllis Class, the Leagros Group, the Gela Painter and the Athena Painter appear to have exported larger quantities of lekythoi to Sicily and Italy than other workshops.
In spite of their often small size, the iconography of lekythoi is interesting, either because of its repetitiveness or originality. Z.-E. has organised the relevant paragraph by subject. The vessels in the volume span over 100 years. Early images are still beholden to their Corinthian ancestors and consist of animal friezes (F 1659) or follow Protoattic models and show large figures, a man between lions, a snake monster and the protome of an unidentified or unidentifiable man (3764). Shoulder lekythoi are characterised by a single figure or groups of figures between onlookers, often the shoulder can carry animals and/or human figures too. The number and range of mythological scenes increased dramatically with some myths shown numerous times and using the same scheme. Among the frequently chosen subjects are the assembly of gods and processions, which often include Herakles and Dionysos (F 1961, 1998, 2022). Herakles was a particular favourite of the painters of lekythoi, and his wrestling match with the Nemean Lion the most popular Labour (F 2004, 1993.224, 1993.229), followed by the Struggle for the Tripod (1993.226, 2014.42). The Berlin museum also houses examples of the fight with Geryon (F 1999, 2007), the capture of the Erymanthian Boar (F 1979, 1981), the Apples of the Hesperides (1993.225), Herakles and Pholos (1981.32), and with amazons (F 2008, 2024). Theseus was also exceedingly popular with the painters of black-figure lekythoi; an unusual lekythos (1993.229) combines his struggle with the Bull of Marathon with Herakles and the Lion, the combination of the heroes occurs normally on cups and amphorae. According to Z.-E. scenes of Ajax and Achilles playing (F 1953, 1987, 1982, 1984) also show that lekythos painters adopted scenes conceived for larger vases such as amphorae and hydriai.
While these heroic scenes and many pictures of amazons, gigantomachies (F 1943, 2023) and other fights stress the importance of protecting the polis from a variety of dangers, numerous images of Peleus and Thetis offer a mythological paradigm for mortal weddings. The popularity of Herakles, a mortal made an immortal god, could have been an additional reason to use him on largely funerary vases.
Z.-E. notes the large amount of often small lekythoi representing Dionysos in various contexts: with athletes and ephebes, Herakles, satyrs and maenads (who are also depicted without their master), and worshippers. These vessels stress the role of Dionysos as a unifying deity and as a god with a particular significance for women.
Other mythological subjects include the Trojan War, Achilles and Troilos (F 1966), the Quarrel over the Arms of Achilles (F 2000), the Theban Sphinx (F 4526), the Birth of Athena (1993.231) and Helios rising (F 1983).
Z.-E. connects the large quantity of mortal combats and vases showing cavalrymen (33537) as paradigms for the readiness of the polis to defend itself.
Only three lekythoi (F 1659, 3990, 4526) have a secure provenance, they served as grave offerings. Lekythoi are mostly known from funerary contexts, but have also been found in settlements and sanctuaries. When large red-figure lekythoi became the vases of choice for women, the makers of black-figure lekythoi continued to cater for the market for conservative sepulchral vessels.
While museums tend to exhibit highlights and representative objects, CVA shows the best but also the worst examples of the potters’ craft and the sheer numbers of low quality vases sold all over the Mediterranean world. Many Berlin lekythoi have hitherto been unpublished or inadequately illustrated (e.g. the exceptional lekythos 33537 with a horseman in Six's technique set in a black panel, the white-ground lekythos F 2001 showing a man mounting his chariot and a winged woman with sceptre, F 1999 and F 1998, superb lekythoi by the Edinburgh Painter with Herakles and Geryon, and gods and Herakles, and 30738 with an erotic scene).
This is an excellent example of what CVA has to offer: written by an established expert in the field, clearly structured and adhering to the exacting standard set by the series, presenting an important sub-section of an interesting class of vases, placing them into context and offering a wealth of material to aid future studies of potters, painters, mythology, religion and daily life.
