For Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768)

For Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768), the founder of classical archaeology and the discipline of art history, antique painted pottery vessels were “a wonder in the art and manner of the ancients”. He even compared the vase paintings with the drawings of Raphael. A wonder – this word implies something both miraculous and astonishing. And just as Winckelmann marvelled at the artistic skill of the painters of such vases, enthusiastic amateurs, connoisseurs, collectors, and researchers have for centuries been enchanted by these antique vessels with their harmonious forms, decorative ornamentation, and figural motifs depicting both everyday life and mythological scenes.