Varrese Painter

Who is Varrese Painter?

The Varrese Painter was an Apulian red-figure vase painter. His works are dated to the middle of the 4th century BC.

His conventional name is derived from the Varrese hypogeum at Canosa di Puglia, which contained several vases painted by him. In total, over 200 known vases are attributed to him. Scholars consider him one of the most important representatives of his period. His influence extended beyond his immediate surroundings and beyond his own phase of activity, as far as the immediate predecessors of the Darius Painter. A quarter of the vases attributed to him, including hydriai, nestorids, loutrophoroi and a large oenochoe are of considerable size. The rest if his work is mainly on bell kraters and pelikes. Although he belongs to the tradition of the Ornate Style, his smaller vessels are often stylistically close to the Plain Style.

His pictorial repertoire is characterised by frequently repeated motifs. Four basic motifs have been identified:

A naked youth, either standing with one arm covered by a garment, or seated on a folded cloth;

A standing female figure, both legs clearly visible under her garment, one placed behind the other;

A clothed woman, one of her feet standing on a higher level than the other, her upper body bent towards that foot, one arm resting on her thigh;