ABSTRACT
In the last chapter we examined the extent to which study of vase-painting over the past century has been concentrated on the matter of connoisseurship – that is, the attribution of vases to individual painters on the basis of personal style. We saw that such attribution can be attempted on decorated pottery, no matter where or when made nor of what quality, provided that there are enough diagnostic signs on which to base an attribution. We also recognised how meticulous such study needed to be and what a complex structure has been erected, particularly in the matter of Athenian red-figure and black-figure for the three centuries of their production. Of course, any attribution can be challenged and, as we saw, the validity of such a method has been questioned, together with the emphasis that has been placed upon it.
