The term Cypriot White Painted ware, which is both traditional and unfortunately misleading, derives from Einar Gjerstad's typological studies (1932, 1948, 1960). This is a wide-ranging family whose shared characteristic is a plain light to white colored surface with additional decoration added in black paint (manganese pigment). The use of white paint on an otherwise undecorated (no slip, wash, or similar covering) surface is common throughout the Cypro-Geometric, Cypro-Archaic, and Cypro-Classical periods and continues into the Hellenistic period. It finds earlier origins in the latter part of the Late Bronze Age (Late Cypriot W...
Wheelmade, usually light ground fabric, with black or grayish painted decoration (manganese pigment). The background fabric can be white, tan, salmon, red, or even near black. The black paint can appear blue or even light purple.
