Τhanks to the variety of shapes and decorated surfaces found in vases, the art of pottery developed a more extensive repertoire of subjects related to the sea than any other art form.

The forty-two characteristic examples of marine iconography included in this catalogue come mainly from the collections of the Louvre, though also from those of other museums. They are divided into four groups: marine fauna and seafaring, the deities of the deep, the voyages of gods and heroes who crisscrossed the ocean, and, finally, the miraculous birth of the goddess who emerged from the waves, Aphrodite, born from the foam.

The variety and aesthetic quality of marine scenes in vase-painting reveal once more the importance of the sea to Greek civilization.