Brutus; but when she saw, a few hours after, a picture of the Parting of
Hector and Andromache, she burst into a flood of tears. Full as seemed
her cup of sorrow, the painter suggested new ideas of grief, or
impressed more strongly her own.
An Athenian courtezan, in the midst of a riotous banquet with her
lovers, accidentally cast her eye on the portrait of a philosopher that
hung opposite to her seat; the happy character of temperance and virtue
struck her with so lively an image of her own unworthiness, that she
instantly quitted the room, and retiring home, became ever after an
example of temperance, as she had before been of debauchery.
PAUSIAS.
Pausias, an eminent Greek painter, was a native of Sicyon, and
flourished about B. C. 450. His most famous picture was one representing
the Sacrifice of an Ox, which, according to Pliny, decorated the Hall of
Pompey in his time. Pausanias mentions two of his paintings at
Epidaurus--the one a Cupid with a lyre in his hand; and the other a
figure of Methe, or Drunkenness, drinking out of a glass vessel, through
which his face is seen. These pictures were held in the highest
estimation by the Sicyonians, but they were compelled to give them up to
M. Scaurus, who took them to Rome.
THE GARLAND TWINER.
Pausias fell in love with a beautiful damsel, a native of his own city,
called Glycera, who gained a livelihood by making garlands of flowers,
and wreaths of roses. Her skill in this art induced Pausias, in a loving
rivalry, to attempt to compete with her, and he ultimately became an
inimitable flower painter. A portrait of Glycera with a garland of
flowers, called Stephanopolis, or the Garland Twiner, was reckoned his
masterpiece. So great was the fame of it, that Lucius Lucullus gave for
a copy, at Athens, two talents, or about two thousand dollars.
PROTOGENES, THE GREAT RHODIAN PAINTER.
The most famous of his works was the picture of Ialysus and his Dog,
which occupied him seven years. The dog, represented as panting and
foaming at the mouth, was greatly admired; and it is related that
Protogenes was for a long time unable to represent the foam in the
manner he wished, till at length he threw his sponge in a fury at the
mouth, and produced the very effect he desired! The fame of this
painting was so great, that, according to Pliny, Demetrius Poliorcetes,
when besieging Rhodes, did not assault that part of the city where
Protogenes lived, lest he should destroy the picture. His studio was
situated without the walls, where, to the astonishment of the besiegers,
he continued to paint with perfect tranquillity. This coming to the ears
of Demetrius, he ordered the artist to be brought to his tent, and
demanded how he could persist in the quiet exercise of his profession,
when surrounded by enemies? Protogenes replied that he did not consider
himself in any danger, convinced that a great prince like Demetrius did
not make war against the Arts, but against the Rhodians.
PARRHASIUS.
This great painter was a native of Ephesus, but became a citizen of
Athens, where he flourished about B. C. 390. He raised the art to a much
higher degree of perfection than it had before attained. Comparing his
three great predecessors with each other, he rejected their errors, and
adopted their excellencies. The classic invention of Polygnotus, the
magic tones of Apollodorus, and the exquisite design of Zeuxis, are said
to have been united in the works of Parrhasius. He reduced to theory the
practice of former artists, and all cotemporary and subsequent painters
adopted his standard of heroic and divine proportions; hence he was
called the _Legislator of Painting_.
THE DEMOS AND OTHER WORKS OF PARRHASIUS.
One of the most celebrated works of Parrhasius was his Demos, or an
allegorical picture of the Athenians. Pliny says that “it represented
and expressed equally all the good as well as the bad qualities of the
Athenians at the same time; one might trace the changeable, the
irritable, the kind, the unjust, the forgiving, the vain-glorious, the
proud, the humble, the fierce, the timid.” There has been considerable
dispute among critics whether this picture was a composition of one or
several figures. Supposing it to have been a single figure, Pliny’s
description is absurd and ridiculous, for it is impossible to represent
all the passions in a single figure. It does not seem, however, that
Parrhasius usually introduced many figures into his compositions. Pliny
mentions as among his principal works, a Theseus; a Telephus; an
Achilles; an Agamemnon; an Æneas; two famous pictures of Hoplites, or
heavily armed warriors, one in action, the other in repose; a Naval
Commander in his armor; Ulysses feigning insanity; Castor and Pollux;
Bacchus and Virtue; a Cretan nurse with an Infant in her arms; and many
others, apparently composed of one, two, or at most three figures.
Parrhasius was equally celebrated for his small, or cabinet pictures of
libidinous subjects; hence he was called the _Pornograph_. His famous
picture of Archigallus, the priest of Cybele, mentioned by Pliny, is
supposed to have been of this description. Also the Meleager and
Atalanta mentioned by Suetonius. This picture was bequeathed to
Tiberius, on the condition that if he were offended with the subject, he
should receive in its stead one million sesterces (about forty thousand
dollars). The Emperor not only preferred the picture, but had it hung up
in his own chamber, where the Archigallus, valued at six hundred
thousand sesterces, was also preserved.
PARRHASIUS AND THE OLYNTHIAN CAPTIVE.
Seneca relates that Parrhasius, when about to paint a picture of
Prometheus Chained, crucified an old Olynthian captive, to serve as a
model, that he might be able to portray correctly the agonies of
Prometheus while the Vulture preyed upon his vitals. This story is
doubtless a fiction, as it is found nowhere but in the Controversies.
Olynthus was taken by Philip of Macedon, B. C. 347, about forty years
subsequent to the latest accounts of Parrhasius.
THE VANITY OF PARRHASIUS.
This great artist was well aware of his powers, but the applause which
he received, added to a naturally vain and conceited disposition, so
completely carried him away, that Pliny terms him “the most insolent and
the most arrogant of artists.” He assumed the title of _The Elegant_,
styled himself the _Prince of Painters_, wrote an epigram upon himself,
in which he proclaimed his birth, and declared that he had carried the
art to perfection. He clothed himself in purple, and wore a wreath of
gold on his head; and when he appeared on public occasions, particularly
at the Olympic games, he changed his robes several times a day. He went
so far as to pretend that he was descended from Apollo, one of whose
surnames was _Parrhasius_, and even to dedicate his own portrait as
Mercury in a temple, and thus received the adoration of the multitude.
THE INVENTION OF THE CORINTHIAN CAPITAL.
About B. C. 550, there died at Corinth a marriageable virgin; and her
nurse, according to the custom of the times, placed on her tomb a
basket containing those viands most agreeable to her when alive,
covering them with a tile, for better preservation. This basket was
unintentionally placed over the root of an acanthus, the spring leaves
and stems of which growing up, covered it in so elegant a manner as to
attract the notice of Callimachus, who, struck with the idea and novelty
of the figure, modelled from it the Corinthian capital, thus giving a
remarkable proof of the intimate connection between Art, and Nature--the
source of all true art--and producing that exquisitely graceful design
which for twenty-four centuries has charmed the civilized world.
THE INVENTION OF SCULPTURE.
Pliny relates a pleasing and highly poetic anecdote of the invention of
sculpture. Dibutades, the fair daughter of a celebrated potter of
Sicyon, contrived a private meeting with her lover, on the eve of a long
separation. After a repetition of vows of constancy, and a stay
prolonged to a very late hour, the youth fell fast asleep. The fair
nymph, whose imagination was on the alert, observing that her admirer’s
profile was strongly reflected on the wall by the light of a lamp,
eagerly snatched up a piece of charcoal, and, inspired by love, traced
the outline, that she might have the image of her lover before her
during his absence. Her father, when he chanced to see the sketch,
struck with its correctness, determined to preserve it, if possible, as
a memento of such a remarkable circumstance. With this view, he formed a
kind of clay model from it, and baked it; which, being the first essay
of the kind, was preserved in the public repository of Corinth, even to
the fatal day of its destruction by that enemy to the arts, Mummius
Achaicus.
PRAXITELES.
Praxiteles, one of the most eminent Grecian sculptors, was cotemporary
with Euphranor, and flourished, according to Pliny, in the one hundred
and fourth Olympiad, or B. C. 360. The place of his birth is not
mentioned. He lived in the period immediately subsequent to the age of
Phidias, but his genius took a different course from that style of
elevation and sublimity which distinguishes the Æschylus of Sculpture.
Praxiteles was the founder of a new school. His style was eminently
distinguished for softness, delicacy, and high finish; and he was fond
of representing whatsoever in nature appeared gentle, tender, and
lovely. Consequently his favorite subjects were the soft and delicate
forms of females and children, rather than the masculine forms of
athletes, warriors, and heroes.
PRAXITELES AND PHIDIAS COMPARED.
The peculiar abilities of Praxiteles were admirably displayed in the
Venus of Cnidus, which, with the exception of the Olympian Jupiter of
Phidias, has received higher and more unqualified eulogiums from ancient
writers, than any other work of Grecian art. These two great artists may
therefore be considered as standing at the head of their respective
schools; Praxiteles, the delicate and beautiful--Phidias, the grand and
sublime.
THE WORKS OF PRAXITELES.
Praxiteles was eminent for his works, both in bronze and marble, but he
seems to have had the highest reputation for his skill in the latter.
Among those in bronze, Pliny and Pausanias mention a statue of Bacchus;
and one of a Satyr so excellent, that it was called _Periboetos_, or the
Celebrated. He also made a statue of Venus; a statue of a Matron
weeping; and one of a Courtesan laughing, believed to be a portrait of
the celebrated Thespian courtesan, Phryne. His Apollo Sauroctonos (or
the Lizard Killer), was the finest of his works in bronze, and was
greatly distinguished for purity of style, and graceful beauty of form.
In the Vatican there is a well-authenticated marble copy of this work,
which is justly considered one of the greatest treasures of that
storehouse of art. Among the works in marble by Praxiteles, the famous
Venus of Cnidus takes the preëminence.
THE VENUS OF CNIDUS.
Praxiteles executed two statues of Venus--the one draped, and the other
naked. The people of Coös chose the former, as the most delicate; but
the Cnidians immediately purchased the latter. This work is mentioned by
Lucian as the masterpiece of Praxiteles; and it is also the subject of
numerous epigrams in the Greek Anthology. Its fame was so great that
travelers visited Cnidus on purpose to see it. The original work was
destroyed at Constantinople, in the fifth century, in the dreadful fire
which consumed so many of the admirable monuments of art, collected in
that city.
PRAXITELES AND PHRYNE.
Pausanias relates that the beautiful Phryne, whose influence over
Praxiteles seems to have been considerable, was anxious to possess a
work from his chisel, and when desired to choose for herself, not
knowing which of his exquisite works to select, devised the following
expedient. She commanded a servant to hasten to him, and tell him that
his workshop was in flames, and that with few exceptions, his works had
already perished. Praxiteles, not doubting the truth of the
announcement, rushed out in the greatest anxiety and alarm, exclaiming,
“all is lost, if my _Satyr and Cupid_ are not saved!” The object of
Phryne was answered--she confessed her stratagem, and chose the Cupid.
Pliny mentions two figures of Cupids as among the finest works of
Praxiteles, one of which he ranks on an equality with the Venus of
Cnidus. It was made of Parian marble. There is an exquisite antique
Cupid in the Vatican, supposed to be a copy of the Cupid of Phryne.
THE KING OF BITHYNIA AND THE VENUS OF CNIDUS.
According to Lucian, Nicomedes, King of Bithynia, was so captivated with
the Venus of Cnidus, that he offered to pay a debt of the city,
amounting to one hundred talents, (about one hundred thousand dollars)
on condition of their giving up to him this celebrated statue; but the
citizens, to their honor, refused to part with it on any terms,
regarding it as the principal glory of the state.
PHIDIAS.
Phidias, the most renowned sculptor of antiquity, was born about B. C.
490. Quintilian calls him “the Sculptor of the Gods,” and others, “the
Æschylus of Sculpture,” from the character of grandeur and sublimity in
his works. The times in which he lived were peculiarly favorable to the
development of his genius. He was employed upon great public works
during the administration of Cimon, and subsequently, when Pericles
attained the height of his power, Phidias seems to have been consulted
in regard to the conduct of all the works in sculpture, as well as
architecture. Plutarch says, “It was Phidias who had the direction of
these works, although great architects and skillful sculptors were
employed in erecting them.” Among the most remarkable objects upon which
his talents were exercised, the Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, claims
preëminence. It was built by Callicrates and Ictinus, under the
superintendence of Phidias. Within the temple, Phidias executed his
celebrated statue, in gold and ivory, of Minerva, represented standing
erect, holding in one hand a spear, and in the other a statue of
Victory. The helmet was highly decorated, and surmounted by a sphinx;
the naked parts were of ivory; the eyes of precious stones; and the
drapery throughout was of gold. It is said there were forty talents
weight of this metal used in the statue. The people, being desirous of
having all the glory of the work, prohibited Phidias from inscribing his
name upon it; but he contrived to introduce his own portrait as an old
bald-headed man throwing a stone, in the representation of the combat
between the Athenians and Amazons, which decorated the shield. A
likeness of Pericles was also introduced in the same composition. The
exterior of the Parthenon was enriched with admirable sculptures, many
of which were from the hand of Phidias, and all of them executed under
his direction. A portion of these, termed the Elgin marbles, from their
having been taken to England by the Earl of Elgin, are now in the
British Museum. They have been highly commended by the most excellent
judges; and the eminent sculptor Canova, after visiting London, declared
that “he should have been well repaid for his journey to England, had
he seen nothing but the Elgin marbles.”
PHIDIAS AND ALCAMENES.
The comprehensive character of the genius of this preëminent sculptor,
is well attested by his contest with Alcamenes. It was intended to place
a statue of Minerva on a column of great height in the city of Athens;
and both these artists were employed to produce images for the purpose,
which were to be chosen by the citizens. When the statues were
completed, the universal preference was given to the work of Alcamenes,
which appeared elegantly finished, while that of Phidias appeared rude
and sketchy, with coarse and ill-proportioned features. However, at the
request of Phidias, the statues were successively exhibited on the
elevation for which they were intended, when all the minute beauties of
his rival’s work completely disappeared, together with the seeming
defects of his own; and the latter, though previously despised, seemed
perfect in its proportions, and was surveyed with wonder and delight.
INGRATITUDE OF THE ATHENIANS.
The enemies of Pericles, with the view of implicating that statesman,
accused Phidias of having misapplied part of the gold entrusted to him
for the statue of Minerva, and desired that he should be brought to
trial. The sculptor, however, by the prudent advice of Pericles, had
executed the work in such a manner that the gold might easily be
removed, and it was ordered by Pericles to be carefully weighed before
the people. As might have been expected, this test was not required, and
the malicious accusation was overthrown. They then declared the sculptor
guilty of sacrilege in placing his own portrait upon the shield of
Minerva; and some writers state that he was thrown into prison; others,
that he was banished.
THE JUPITER OF PHIDIAS.
Phidias fled from Athens to Elis, where he was employed to execute a
costly statue of the Olympian Jupiter, for the temple in Altis. This
statue was the most renowned of all the works of Phidias. It was of
colossal dimensions, being sixty feet in height; and seated on a throne;
the head was crowned with olive; the right hand held a small statue of
Victory, in gold and ivory; the left hand grasped a golden sceptre of
exquisite workmanship, surmounted by an eagle; the sandals and mantle
were also of the same material, the latter sculptured with every
description of flowers and animals; the pedestal was also of gold,
ornamented with a number of deities in bas-relief. In the front of the
throne was a representation of the Sphynx carrying off the Theban
youths; beneath these, the Fate of Niobe and her Children; and, on the
pedestal joining the feet, the Contest of Hercules with the Amazons,
embracing twenty-nine figures, among which was one intended to
represent Theseus. On the hinder feet of the throne were four Victories,
as treading in the dance. On the back of the throne, above the head of
the god, were figures of the Hours and Graces; on the seat, Theseus
warring with the Amazons, and Lions of gold. Its base, which was of
gold, represented various groups of Divinities, among which were Jupiter
and Juno, with the Graces leading on Mercury and Vesta; Cupid receiving
Venus from the Sea; Apollo with Diana; Minerva with Hercules; and, below
these, Neptune, and the Moon in her Chariot. On the base of the statue,
was the inscription, _Phidias, the son of Charmidas, made
me_.--Quintilian observes that this unparalleled work even added new
feelings to the religion of Greece. It was without a rival in ancient
times, all writers speaking of it as a production that none would even
dare to imitate. There is a tradition connected with this celebrated
work. Phidias, after the completion of his design, is said to have
prayed Jupiter to favor him with some intimation of his approbation,
whereupon a flash of lightning darted into the temple, and struck the
pavement before him. This was hailed as a proof of divine favor, and a
brazen urn or vase was placed upon the spot, which Pausanias mentions as
existing in his time.
PHIDIAS’ MODEL FOR THE OLYMPIAN JUPITER.
Phidias, being asked how he could conceive that air of divinity which he
had expressed in the face of the Olympian Jupiter, replied that he had
copied it from Homer’s celebrated description of him. All the personal
strokes in that description relate to the hair, the eye-brows, and the
beard: and indeed to these it is that the best heads of Jupiter owe most
of their dignity; for though we have now a mean opinion of beards, yet
all over the east a full beard carries the idea of majesty along with
it; and the Grecians had a share of this Oriental notion, as may be seen
in their busts of Jupiter, and the heads of kings on Greek medals. But
the Romans, though they held beards in great esteem, even as far down as
the sacking of Rome by the Goths, yet in their better ages held them in
contempt, and spoke disrespectfully of their bearded forefathers. They
were worn only by poor philosophers, and by those who were under
disgrace or misfortune. For this reason Virgil, in copying Homer’s
striking description of Jupiter, has omitted all the picturesque strokes
on the beard, hair, and eye-brows; for which Macrobius censures him, and
Scaliger extols him. The matter might have been compounded between them,
by allowing that Virgil’s description was the most proper for the
Romans, and Homer’s the noblest among the Greeks.
APOLLODORUS THE ATHENIAN.
Apollodorus, one of the most famous of the ancient Greek painters, was
born at Athens B. C. 440. Pliny commences his history of Greek painting
with this artist, terming him “the first luminary of the art.” He also
says of him, “I may well and truly say that none before him brought the
pencil into a glorious name and especial credit.” The two most famous
works of Apollodorus, were, a Priest in the act of Devotion, and Ajax
Oileus Wrecked, both remarkable, not only in coloring and chiaro-scuro,
but in invention and composition. These paintings were preserved at
Pergamos in the time of Pliny, six hundred years after they were
executed. Apollodorus was the first who attained the perfect imitation
of the effects of light and shadow invariably seen in nature. If we may
depend upon the criticisms of ancient writers, the works of this master
were not inferior in this respect to those of the most distinguished
moderns. His pictures riveted the eye, not merely from their general
coloring, but also from a powerful and peculiar effect of light and
shade, on which account he was called “the Shadower.”
APOLLODORUS THE ARCHITECT.
This great architect, who flourished about A. D. 100, was born at
Damascus. By his great genius he acquired the favor of the emperor
Trajan, for whom he executed many works. He built the great Square of
Trajan, to effect which, he leveled a hill, one hundred and forty-four
feet high; in the centre he raised the famous column, of the same height
as the hill that had been removed, which commemorated the victories of
Trajan, and served as a monument to that victorious Emperor. Around the
Square, he erected the most beautiful assemblage of buildings then known
in the world, among which was the triumphal arch commemorative of
Trajan’s victories. The marble pavements of this Square are fifteen feet
below the streets of modern Rome. Apollodorus also erected a college, a
theatre appropriated to music, the Basilica Nepia, a celebrated library,
the Baths of Trajan, aqueducts, and other important works at Rome. His
most famous work was a stone bridge over the Danube, in Lower Hungary,
near Zeverino. It was one mile and a half long, three hundred feet high,
forty feet wide, and was built upon twenty piers and twenty-two arches.
Its extremities were defended by two fortresses. Trajan had it
constructed to facilitate the passage of his troops, but his successor
dismantled it, fearing that the barbarians would use it _against the
Romans_.
TRAJAN’S COLUMN.