THE WORKSHOP AND TOOLS OF DOURIS
We must regard Douris from two points of view: the craftsman and the
artist.
Let us first see what his workshop was like. Again, all the documents
we possess are the vases themselves, or terracotta tablets which served
as votive offerings. We see upon them workmen in the act of turning or
painting pots, lighted ovens, pottery exposed for sale, etc. Upon a
black-figured hydria at Munich (Fig. 4) we see such an establishment
divided into two parts: to the left is the workshop where the turning,
shaping and polishing of vases takes place; to the right, under the
supervision of an aged man, who apparently is the master, are other
workmen carrying finished pots to dry and bake them. In the extreme
corner is the high oven decorated with a Silenus mask. Here, a vase
from Ruvo (Fig. 2) takes us to a painter’s studio. Three painters, each
grasping a brush, are decorating the body and neck of two krateres and
one kantharos, while other vases on the ground are awaiting their turn.
To the right, on a platform, a woman is painting the handle of a larger
krater; above her some small pots are leaning against the wall. The
composition is ingeniously completed by the appearance of two Victories
and Athene armed with helmet and lance, who solemnly crown the workmen
bending over their work--a poetic symbol to glorify the fame of
Athenian industry.
The act of painting is illustrated upon some vase fragments, where we
see the artist working with a very finely-pointed brush (Fig. 25).
Lastly, some Corinthian platters show us workmen turning vases and
watching the baking, and the kiln filled with piles of pottery. One
even represents a merchant ship with a cargo of pottery, oinochoai
or small perfume bottles, destined for some land across the sea. We
will mention one other kylix by the painter Phintias, upon which are
displayed a potter’s wares. A number of vases are placed on the ground,
and a youth with a purse in his hand is stooping in the act of choosing
his purchase (Fig. 5).
[Illustration: Fig. 7. APHRODITE UPON HER SWAN.
White background. British Museum.]
All these scenes are small genre pictures like _The Barbers_ or _The
Lace Makers_ of Holland and Flanders in the seventeenth century.
They teach us the chief characteristics of the ceramic art.
An establishment of this kind implies several buildings. The vase
turners or makers would be in a separate room from the painters.
One or more ovens would be required in a court, with a shed for the
storage of raw materials, and for kneading and refining the clay.
Lastly, we must assume that there were some rooms for warehousing and a
sale-room adjoining the factory, in addition to rooms for the masters
and night-watchmen. No matter how modest the staff, it would amount to
fifteen or twenty persons, counting not only those in charge of the
factory, but labourers and stokers. Upon the hydria at Munich (Fig. 4),
in a painting necessarily restricted, we can count eight persons. Upon
the vase from Ruvo (Fig. 2) the studio contains four workers--three men
and one woman--all painting. To obtain a correct idea of the staff one
must at least treble this number.
Hence a potter like Douris must have superintended a factory
representing a commercial enterprise of some importance. We must
not think of an artist, who, in his solitary studio, at his leisure
and according to his inspiration, sketches subjects or forms for
vases, and leaves the execution to others. We must not forget it is
an industry. This practical purpose must profoundly influence one’s
opinions as to the nature of the potter’s studies, his manner of
composing, and the profit he expects from his enterprise.
We will not discuss points of technique which demand too detailed an
enquiry, and would raise questions not yet solved. Let us think of the
materials as gathered in the hands of the craftsman: clay carefully
chosen and refined, colours for glazing and retouching, lustres
intended to brighten the natural colour of the clay, and the black for
the design, wheels and moulds, rules and compass, sharp points for
sketching, brushes of all kinds, etc.
The most commonly used and most valuable ingredient is the black glaze,
the composition of which is still unknown; its basis is oxide of iron.
It is used for drawings on red clay, to trace features, persons,
accessories and decorations, and to cover the background. It is to
the Greek what Indian ink is to the draughtsman of Japan. In baking,
it takes on a warm, velvety tone, sometimes a little olive, sometimes
it becomes in the flames a little yellow or red. It is brightened
by a brilliant lustre which frequently produces the effect of a
mirror, but it never has the cold or waxy tone which disfigures modern
imitations of antique vases. It is thick and rich, and forms, after
drying, a slight prominence perceptible to the finger. Lastly, it is
indestructible, even by acids, and does not change with time, unless
the surface of the clay beneath it has been touched by damp, in which
case it flakes off.
The invention of this black was one of the most beautiful discoveries
in ancient industry. If we could only discover its formula it would
still be of the greatest importance. It was in use from the time of
the Mycenæan age, that is to say, more than a thousand years before
our era; eventually potters brought it to perfection, increasing its
delicacy, thickness and brilliancy. About the time of Douris it had
reached its perfection and retained its excellence until the end of
the fifth century. After the capture of Athens and the ruin of the
potters’ workshops, the recipe was lost or the manufacture of it became
neglected, for vases of the fourth century, found in Bœotia and in
Southern Italy, show a great deterioration in this respect.
Next to the black, his brush is of the greatest importance to the
Athenian artist. Its nature has been much discussed. In some of the
illustrations cited, we see it in the hands of workmen while drawing
(Figs. 2 and 25). It consists of a thin handle, doubtless of wood,
to which is joined a long and thin point. Some suppose it to be
the barbule of a bird’s feather; the feathers of the woodcock are
particularly suitable for very delicate lines. In the opinion of others
it is merely a hog’s bristle. The brushes vary in thickness according
to the number and stoutness of the bristles employed.
The Greeks must have been able to paint with one single bristle, a
method requiring great patience and special skill in loading the
brush with paint and guiding it on the clay; but in this manner
particularly delicate lines of even strength from end to end can be
obtained. Experiments have been made with ordinary paint, proving this
conclusively. Of course the painter must have had thicker brushes at
his disposal with which to trace heavier outlines. The background had
to be put in with heavy and broad brushes. But the fine brush is the
tool above all others with which the Greek draughtsman accomplished
wonderful feats, placing lines of extraordinary delicacy side by
side, or throwing out a line at a single stroke, the impeccable
straightness of which delights and surprises the eye. We have reason
to believe that it was not a tool for craftsmen only. Painters of
frescoes and large paintings had the same difficulties to contend with,
if we are to give credence to an anecdote by Pliny: for Apelles and
Protogenes competed who should draw the most perfect and finest line.
[Illustration: Fig. 8. EOS CARRYING MEMNON, HER DEAD SON.
Kylix by Douris. Louvre Museum.]