Some time before the end of the sixth century, perhaps
as early as 540, a new method of decorating pottery was
invented in Attica. The principal coloring matter used
continued to be the lustrous black varnish; but instead
of filling in the outlines of the figures with black,
the decorator, after outlining the figures by means of a
broad stroke of the brush, covered with black the spaces
between the figures, leaving the figures themselves in
the color of the clay. Vases thus decorated are called
"red-figured." In this style incised lines ceased to be
used, and details were rendered chiefly by means of the
black varnish or, for certain purposes, of the same
material diluted till it became of a reddish hue. The
red-figured and black-figured styles coexisted for
perhaps half a century, but the new style ultimately
drove the old one out of the market.
F. B. Tarbell, A History of Ancient Greek Art
