Bilingual vase painting
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Bilingual vase painting is a special form of ancient Greek vase painting. The term, derived from linguistics, is essentially a metaphorical one; it describes vases that are painted both in the black-f
Heracles resting on a couch, black-figure side of a belly amphora by the Andokides Painter, circa 520/510 BC. Munich: Staatliche Antikensammlungen.
Red-figure side of the vase illustrated above, same subject
Eye-cup
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Eye-cup is the term describing a specific cup type in ancient Greek pottery, distinguished by pairs of eyes painted on the external surface.
Bilingual vase painting
…although that style subsequently became dominant rather fast. Bilingual vase painting was almost entirely restricted to belly amphorae of type B and to eye-cups. In some cases, either side of an amphora bore a depiction of the same motif, one in black-figure, the other in red-figure (e.g. on the belly amphora…
Chalkidian black-figure eye-cup, circa 530 BC, Munich: Staatliche Antikensammlungen.
Dionysos on a boat, sailing amongst dolphins. Attic black-figure kylix by Exekias, circa 530 BC. Found at Vulci. Dionysus cup: Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich.
Outside of the Dionysus cup