Ancient Hellenic Ceramics

Ancient Hellenic ceramics, despite the fact that today considered as works of art, were made primarily to serve the practical everyday needs of the people of their time. From these, men were serving and drinking wine at their symposia; women were carrying their perfume oils or keeping their jewelry. Ceramics were also placed in graves as funeral decorations, or on sacred ground containing offerings to express a desire for a wish or appreciation to the Gods.

The most representative and well known of these ceramics are those of the Melanomorph (black figure) and Erythromorph (red figure), Attic pottery designs, created in Athens mainly between the sixth and fourth centuries B.C.E.

Ancient ceramics were made by excellent, gifted technicians, working under great difficulties inside miserable workshops, who never convinced their contemporaries that they were great artists.

Modern archaeological research gave these people the recognition as creators of great art, for excellence in shapes worked on the wheel, for the fine drawings on their surfaces, and exquisite firing process.

The pottery maker, Demetrios Stathopoulos, gifted and with deep sensitivity and artistic originality, has proved that he is able to compete with those ancient master ceramists. As a ceramic maker and painter, he is one of the few who knows the art of working with clay like the ancients, thus he has the ability to create products equal to those of the past, in both design and substance. Talking with Demetrios reveals a source of wealth and knowledge for those who study ancient ceramics. Watching his hands shaping and decorating, or listening to him describing the process, is as if we have a front of us one of the great ceramists of the ancient Hellenic world.

After many years of research and successful experiments, Demetrios' achievements has been to infuse life back into ancient ceramics, he brought them out of the untouchable museum cases and literally gave them back into our hands as living examples of aesthetic and practical value.

Today, Demetrios Stathopoulos, has accepted to bring his work to the public. In this way, he gives the opportunity to every body to enjoy, up-close and personal, a first class artistic creation from the past. This artist gives us the chance, to whomever wishes, to purchase "ancient ceramics", either for use or decoration, since these objects of timeless aesthetic value may easily stand and function as their predecessors did, in any environment.

Panos Valavanis, Assistant Professor of Archeology,
University of Athens

Description of the products & services: Funerary Urns for cremation ashes.

Descriptions:

CAULDRON
It was used during the first night of the wedding for a perfumed bathing water, Archaic Period, 600 B.C.E.

HYDRIA
It was used to carry and store water, Hellenistic Period, 300 B.C.E.

AMPHORA
A multiple primarily liquid storing jar, Classical to Hellenistic Periods, 350 - 300 B.C.E.

PELIKE with neck
Storing jar primarily for oil and water, Classical Period 450 - 400 B.C.E.

VOLUTE CRATER
It was used during the dinner parties to dilute wine with water, Hellenistic to Roman Periods, 300 B.C.E. - 300 A.C.E.

AMPHORA
A multiple primarily liquid storing jar, Classical Period, 450 - 400 B.C.E.

HYDRIA with neck
It was used to carry and store water, Archaic Period, 600 - 500 B.C.E.

AMPHORA A multiple primarily liquid storing jar, Geometric Period, 750 B.C.E.

PELIKE
Storing jar primarily for oil and water, Early Classical Period, 470 - 465 B.C.E.

AMPHORA
A multiple primarily liquid storing jar, Geometric Period, 750 B.C.E.

Description of features and benefits:

Our beautiful Hellenic ceramic urns are unique in workmanship. Because of their rediscovery of the ancient Hellenic pottery-making, today they represent the beauty of the ancient times. In substance they are close to the human body and in craftsmanship they are one-of-a- kind in the world. They are as close to the original ancient ceramics; their only difference with the ones featured in museums is time. The urns are timeless and if not vandalized, they are indestructible.

These ceramics vessels provide a perfect combination of aesthetic completion and practical usage. Because of their unique making, the urns will be the epitome of cremation products available. Furthermore, we can also customized a cremation urn based on your wishes, in order to offer you the opportunity to provide a real treasure of aesthetic value and substance for your loved ones, please do not hesitate to contact our office for more details.