Maker/Artist
Meidias Painter
Attic vase painter, active 420-ca. 390 BCE
Partaking in a new interest in the late 5th century BCE in the lives of women, the Meidias Painter created scenes of women, both mortal and divine, in private moments such as dressing and courtship. The Meidias Painter worked in the red-figure technique in Athens and frequently decorated shapes that would have been used by women, including hydriai and perfume jars. His style is characterized by tall, slender figures in very languid, almost theatrical poses. As with most Greek vase painters, the real name of the Meidias Painter is unknown, and he is identified only by the stylistic traits of his work. He is named after the potter Meidias, who signed a vase now in the British Museum in London.