The Red and the Black

by Brian A. Sparkes

The Red and the Black covers the major stages in the history of Greek pottery production, both figured and plain, as they are understood today. It provides an up-to-date evaluation of ways of studying Greek pottery and encourages new approaches.
There is a detailed analysis of the subject matter of figured scenes covering some of the main preoccupations of ancient myth, fantasy and everyday life. Furthermore, it sets the artefacts in the context of the societies that produced them, highlighting the social, art historical, mythological and economic information that can be revealed from their study.
This volume also covers a hitherto neglected the history of the collecting of Greek pottery through the Renaissance and up to the present day. It shows how market values have gradually increased to the high prices of today and goes on to take a closer look at the enthusiasm of the collectors.

Genres: Archaeology

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 1996

Reviews

[Ivy]

Actually a pretty interesting and light read for an academic. This book mostly focuses on the way art history and connoisseurship has dominated the study of Greek ceramics and how that may be a hindrance to our understanding of what these objects meant in their own time.

[Elsie]

This is an easy read and a good introduction to the key issues of vase study. It assumes very low exposure to the subject, which makes it very valuable for total beginners, or those needing a refresher, but somewhat monotonous for someone a little way into their studies. That aside, Chapter II on the history of vase study was particularly engaging and suited the author's style, and there are plenty of references and quotations that someone with more knowledge would find interesting.