red-figure technique

A technique of ancient Greek pot-painting in which the black background is painted with slip and figures are left the natural reddish color of the clay. Details are added with fine lines of slip before firing in a kiln. Web resource here.

Onesimos. Athletes Competing in the Pentathlon. Detail from a red-figure kylix. Ca. 500-490 BCE. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

A free resource for students and teachers, created by Dr. James Terry. Art History Glossary by James Terry is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 .