Little-Master cup

Little-master cups are a type of Attic black-figure cups, produced around the middle and third quarter of the sixth century BC. Their name is based on their fine small-format decoration. Little-master cups are later in origin than Siana cups, but both types were produced over a considerable period of time. The Little masters painted only the small upper frieze above the carination of the cup, at times also the lip or handle areas. It is probably that only few of the painters of Siana cups also painted Little-master cups. One of the first artists to introduce the Little-master cup in Athens was Kleitias. The change in decoration went along with a lengthening of the cup foot. The dedicated painters of Little-master cups rarely painted larger formas, whereas painters primarily specialised in large vases are known to also have painted Little-master cups. Stylistic comparison between larger and smaller formats of the period remains difficult.

Lip cup with scenes of sex, Rhodes, 550–40 BC (stem and foot lost)

Many Little-master cups are signed (especially lip cups), as the signature was often incorporated in the overall decor. The signatures are mostly by potters, probably because the potting was often of higher quality than the painting.