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Little-Master cups are a type ofAtticblack-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 thanSiana cups, but both types were produced over a considerable period of time. TheLittle 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 inAthens wasKleitias. The change in decoration went along with a lengthening of the cup foot. The dedicated painters of Little-Master cups rarely painted larger formats, whereas painters primarily specialised in large vases are known to have also painted Little-Master cups. Stylistic comparison between larger and smaller formats of the period remains difficult.
Many Little-Master cups are signed (especiallylip 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.
Several types of Little-Master cups are known:
