Onesimos and his workshop

Thesis

This thesis analyses the work of the late Archaic cup-painter Onesimos and its implications for understanding ceramic production in late Archaic Athens. It posits that Beazley’s Proto-Panaetian Group and the Panaitios Painter are early incarnations of Onesimos. The discussion deconstructs the process of attribution, and advocates for the amalgamation of Beazley’s attributions. Once the corpus and workshop structure are established, this analysis dissects the group of vases, analysing chronological implications, choices of iconography, inscriptions, shape, ornament and production processes, trade and contexts of use, and subsequent collection histories of Onesimos’ vases.

Not only do the results of this analysis give a biographical case-study for Athenian vase-painters, but provide wider implications for the study of vase-painting. By describing the methodology of amalgamation, this framework can be used to explain the ‘small painters’ that litter Beazley’s lists of attributions. Suggested chronological anchors for Onesimos’ career help to strengthen the accepted date of the ‘Archaic to Classical’ transition. Iconographic analysis enables understanding of creative exchange, inspiration and artistic subversion, and inscriptional investigation helps suggest the potential educational background of vase-painters, as well as workshop structures. By analysing shape, ornament, firing and trade distributions, we gain an important insight into the process of pottery production, and the complex relationships that existed between workshop and merchant. The study of collection histories also enables understanding of subsequent scholarship, and the role of attribution in the art market. Moreover, a close investigation on the methodology of attribution helps understand the solidity of this field, and its continued utility in the study of Greek vases.

Authors: Croker, O

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-qzrryr8bb
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Onesimos; Beazley; archaeology; Greek vase