The Polos Painter was a vase painter of the
Atticblack-figure style. His works date to c. 575 to 565 BC.
The Polos Painter is considered to have a distinctive personal style, while only being of mediocre artistic talent. Stylistically, he resembles the earlier
Ragusa Group, which was strongly influenced by
Corinthian vase painting. He was very productive. Most of his vases were decorated with “degenerate animal friezes” (
John Boardman). His conventional name is based on the cross-hatched polos crowns worn by the women, animals and
sirens he painted. More than 100 known vases and fragments are ascribed to him. His works were widely spread across the Greek world, presumably among less discerning customers; they have been found from
Athens and
Attica via
Southern Italy to
Spain, the
Cyrenaica,
Egypt and
Asia Minor. He decorated all vase shapes then current; but preferred plates and lekanes.
John Beazley: Attic Black-figure Vase-painters. Oxford 1956, p. 43-49. 708.
A. Arribas; G. Trías: Un vaso del Pintor del Polos de Ampurias, in: Archivo español de arqueología 34 (1961) p. 168-177.
John D. Beazley: Paralipomena. Additions to Attic black-figure vase-painters and to Attic red-figure vase-painters, Oxford 1971, p. 20-22.
Maria Grazia Costagli Marzi: Il cratere del Pittore del Polos nel Museo Archeologico di Firenze, in: Archaeologica. Scritti in onore di Aldo Neppi Modona, Florenz 1975, p. 173-181.