Kleophrades Painter - Name and Identity

Name and Identity

The name Kleophrades painter, given him in 1910 by classicist John Beazley, arises from a potter's inscription Kleophrades on a cup now in the Cabinet des Medailles, Paris; after having had this designation for some time, scholars discovered a pelike, now in Berlin, which has the painter's name Epiktetos inscribed on it, and the painter was for a time designated Epiktetos II, distinguishing him from a contemporary painter of the same name.

However in 1981 Sir John Boardman demonstrated that the signature on the vase was a modern forgery, and the Kleophrades Painter returned to anonymity. The Kleophrades painter is thought to be the son of the potter Amasis, and the pupil of Euthymides, as his earliest work greatly resembles that of his master. He himself had pupils, which include the Berlin Painter and also the Boot Painter. Overall the Kleophrades painter is recognized as one of the greatest pot painters in the late Archaic period in Athens.