( fl c. 470–c. 425 BC). Greek vase painter. He is named after an Attic Red-figure amphora depicting Achilles (see GREECE, ANCIENT, fig. 112). He studied under the BERLIN PAINTER late in the latter’s career and apparently took over the commission for Black-figure Panathenaic amphorae from his workshop. However, the vast majority of some 300 vases ascribed to him are either Red-figure or, slightly more often, White-ground works. He was the greatest White-ground lekythos painter, and his simple, balanced compositions with quiet, emotionless figures parallel the High Classical style of the Parthenon sculptures. In Red-figure he favoured Nolan amphorae and lekythoi, though he also decorated a few larger shapes, such as neck amphorae, loutrophoroi, kraters and stamnoi, as well as a skyphos, a dinos, a pointed amphora, pelikai, hydriai and oinochoai. Among his specialities were squat lekythoi decorated with a bust above a line in added white that ran around the lower body of the vase.

Part of the Vase painters family

• Achilles Painter
  • Greece, ancient, §V, 5(ii)(d): Black-figure pottery: Attic, c 520–c 480 BC
  • Greece, ancient, §V, 6(i)(c): Attic Red-figure pottery: Early and High Classical
  • Greece, ancient, §V, 6(i)(d): Attic Red-figure pottery: Late 5th century B
  • Greece, ancient, §V, 7: White-ground pottery
  • Vase painters, §II: Kleophon Painter
  • pupils
    • Vase painters, §II: Phiale Painter
  • teachers
    • Vase painters, §II: Berlin Painter
  • works
    • Greece, ancient, §VI, 2(ii)(a): Wall and panel painting: Classical, 5th century BC