Andokides (vase painter)

Andokides was an ancient Athenian vase painter active from approximately 530 to 515 BC. He is recognized as one of the earliest, if not the earliest, to produce vases in the red-figure style, a technique that dramatically reversed the previous black-figure tradition.

In black-figure vase painting, figures were painted in black silhouette against the reddish clay of the vase, with details incised. Andokides, in contrast, painted the background black, leaving the figures in the natural reddish color of the clay and then painting in the details with a brush. This allowed for greater subtlety in depicting anatomy, drapery, and other details.

While the exact relationship between Andokides and other contemporary artists like Lysippides is debated, many scholars believe that the two may have been the same individual, or that Andokides was a close associate, perhaps even a student, of Lysippides. Vases are known bearing the signatures of both artists, with some vases even exhibiting both black-figure and red-figure techniques on the same vessel; these are often referred to as "bilingual" vases. On these bilingual vases, one side is painted in black-figure in the manner of Lysippides, while the other side is painted in red-figure and attributed to Andokides.

The Andokides painter is generally considered a pioneer in the development of red-figure vase painting, and his work had a significant influence on subsequent generations of Athenian vase painters. His subject matter typically includes scenes from mythology, athletics, and everyday life. He is known for the quality of his drawing and the innovative use of the red-figure technique. The identification of vases painted by Andokides is primarily based on stylistic analysis and comparison with the signed examples.