Black clay Amphora

Dionysus, as god of wine, was a particularly popular subject in 6th c. BC Attic vase-painting for the decoration of vessels associated with wine consumption. The high frequency of such scenes on Attic vases from the second half of the 6th c. BC attests to the increasing significance of the cult of Dionysus in Attica, possibly as a result of the policy of the Peisistratids (527-510 BC), who for populist reasons sought to boost rural festivals.

The Swing Painter was one of the most prolific Athenian artists of the second half of the 6th c. BC. The painter was named after the subject of a girl on a swing that he painted more than once.