Francois Vase Research Paper

The Francois Vase is a large Attic black-figure style volute-krater vase used for wine dated 570-565 BCE. Black-figure denotes the stylistic effect of portraying Greek men in a dark colour as opposed to women as paler in shade whereas volute-krater describes the vase’s handles. This vase was molded by Ergotimos and then painted by Kleitias. Both of these figures are highly regarded Athenian artists. In 1845, it was discovered in fragments by namesake archeologist Alessandro Francois in Chiusi, Etruria, central Italy; at the moment, it is permanently on display in the Museo Archeologico in Florence. Several of its pieces are still missing, though it has been reconstructed in its original form. An image of the vase can be seen in the “For Reference” page at the end of this paper. The Francois vase is considered a landmark in the evolution of ancient Greek pottery due to its amalgamation of various related stories depicted in separate strips on a sole vase. In total, there are 270 figures that represent several mythological themes. Mythological figures, such as Meleager, Peleus, Theseus, Achilles, Patroclus,

Myths are expressive, culturally relevant stories that illuminate world order, human existence, and interactions between the gods and mankind. According to F. Graf, they make “a valid statement about the origins of the world, of society and its institutions…about everything on which human existence depends.” Evidently, as conditions change, a myth must change with them to endure. Therefore, myths and their depictions vary as time, place, and person fluctuate. This is an indelibly critical note to make, as this allows us to fully delve into the socio-cultural, historical, and political contexts about the Francois Vase, and how each context individually and uniquely created