| Summary: | The following article questions the close relationship between writing and image according to some representative examples of black-figure and red-figure pottery from the Archaic and Classical periods. More precisely, it seeks to understand the figural role of the inscriptions - beyond the linguistic content - on the vases by studying their placement in the scene and the visual effect created in connection with the image. The inscriptions capture the viewer-reader’s eye and guide his gaze in the image creating a graphic effect and providing a certain rhythm to the scene. The location and orientation of the text are significant, even when the inscription is meaningless, and create a visual effect that underlines the efficiency of the image. The article deciphers the main codes of the graphic liberty attested on vases until ca. 450.
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