Douris

Greek artist
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Douris
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Duris
Quick Facts
Also spelled:
Duris
Flourished:
c. 500–c. 460 bc
Also Known As:
Duris
Flourished:
c.500 BCE - c.460 BCE

Douris (flourished c. 500–c. 460 bc) was a Greek vase painter of the early Classical period, known for his fine draftsmanship and crisp, clear lines. He worked in both the red- and black-figure styles, and he decorated his vases with many themes. He frequently selected themes popular during the Archaic period, for example, the Golden Fleece, but reinterpreted them to make them more relevant to his time.

Douris was a prolific painter in the red-figure technique whose signature as either potter or painter has been identified on about 40 vases. About 280 vase paintings (the vast majority on cups) have been attributed to him. A cup depicting “Eos Embracing Her Dead Son Memnon” is frequently attributed to Douris. Other vessels that Douris is believed to have painted include a psykter (cooler) of “Drunken Silenus,” an “Ajax and Ulysses,” and a “School Interior.” It is possible that some of Douris’s paintings may reflect the now lost monumental mural paintings of Classical Greece.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.