The Kleophrades Painter
Michael Padgett, Princeton University

2. Identity

The Kleophrades Painter was named by Beazley after a potter's signature in black glaze on the foot of a kylix in Paris (Paris, Cab. Méd. 535/699; ARV2, 191, 103). The fragmentary inscription was restored by Jan Six as Kleophrades epoiesen amasios huus (*K*L*E*O*F*R*A*D*E*S *E*P*O*I*E*S*E*N *A*M*A*S[*I*O*S &epig-rough;*U*U]*S, "Kleophrades, the son of Amasis, made it").[5] This reading has been confirmed by a fragmentary cup foot in the Getty museum with the inscription ...[*A*m*a]*s*i*d*o*s &epig-rough;*u*u*s.[6] The potter Kleophrades was therefore the son of the mid-sixth century potter Amasis, who has lent his name to the Amasis Painter. Like Amasis, whose vases were decorated by both the Amasis Painter and the Taleides Painter, Kleophrades not only made cups for the Kleophrades Painter but also signed two cups by Douris, including one in Malibu which includes the patronymic: *K*l*e*o*f*r*a*d*e*s *e*p*o*i*e*s*e*n *A*m*a*s*i*d*o*s.[7]

After Beazley had given the name Kleophrades Painter to the anonymous artist, he attributed to him the pelike Berlin F 2170 (ARV2, 185, 28), a late work but indisputably from the painter's hand (Illustration 1).

Illustration 1

Illustration 2

On either side is a figure of a goddess and the inscription *E*P*I*K*T*E*T*O*S *E*G*R*A*F*S*E*N ("Epiktetos painted it") (Illustration 2; Illustration 3; Illustration 4).

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Because this was also the name of another vase-painter, an older contemporary of the Kleophrades Painter who specialized in cups, the name Kleophrades Painter was retained in the literature, but usually with "Epiktetos II" following it in parentheses (e.g. ARV2, 181). The signatures on the Berlin pelike, however, were shown by Boardman to be modern, and we are once again in the dark as to the artist's real name.[8]

6. Malibu 80.AE.54; D. von Bothmer, "Amasis, Amasidos," GettyMusJ 9 (1981) 1-4.

7. Malibu 83.AE.217; see von Bothmer 1985, 230-31; and D. Buitron-Oliver, "A Cup for a Hero," Greek Vases in the J. Paul Getty Museum 5 (1991) 65-74. His signature on the foot of Berlin F 2283 or Berlin F 2284 (it is not clear to which cup the foot belongs) lacks the patronymic (ARV2, 429, 21-22). Bothmer suggests that the fragmentary foot in the Getty signed by Kleophrades, mentioned above (Malibu 80.AE.54), may belong to one of the Berlin cups. For the question of the meaning of e)poi/hsen — potter or workshop owner? — see M. Robertson, "The Pioneers in Context," in Euphronios und seine Zeit (Berlin 1992) 132-39.