A Comparative Study between Eastern Zhou and Early Ancient Greek Decorative Styles

Abstract

Among creations at the peak of the arts and crafts realm, Chinese bronze vessels and ancient Greek pottery paintings have been key research subjects of art history. Their respective decorative styles have been studied comprehensively, but research is still lacking on Eastern Zhou pictorial bronze vessels and black-figure pottery, which are important stages in the development of Chinese bronze vessels and ancient Greek pottery paintings. To study the decorative styles of Eastern Zhou pictorial bronze vessels and black-figure pottery, this paper takes the Warring States Feast and War Pictorial Bronze Vessel and the Francois Vase as examples, compares their decorative styles, and explores the causes of their differences. The study finds that the decorative styles of Eastern Zhou pictorial bronze vessels and black-figure pottery are similar in terms of narratives and composition, reflecting features typical in the time and arts of an early-staged civilization. There are also great differences between the two in terms of contents of the decorations and art expression styles, revealing differences in craftsmanship, social environment, and artistic pursuit of the two cultures.