Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

i I 2 PUCT URA. PiCT URA.
nere nmeans, to have neglected pictorial effect, and, time of the Romans, was practised with the grossest
retaining individuality and much of the refinement licence (Propert. ii. 6; Sueton. Tib. 43; and Vii.
of design of his contemporaries, to have endeavoured Heor.), prevailed especially at no particular period
to combine them with the generic style of Poly- in Greece, but was apparently tolerated to a congnotus and Pheidias (ut in ipsa pictura eruditio siderable extent at all times. Parrhasius, Aristeides,
elucent). His picture of a groom with a horse is Pausanias, Nicophanes, Chaerephanes, Arellius,
mentioned by Pliny as a remarkable painting. and a few other 7ropyoypadoL are mentioned as
PIhilochares, the brother of the orator Aeschines, having made themselves notorious for this species
was also a painter of the greatest merit, according of licence. (Athen. xiii. p. 567, b; Plut. de and.
to Pliny (lI. N. xxxv. 10), although he is contemp- Piet. 3; Plin. H. N. xxxv. 37.)
tuously termed by Demosthenes (Fals. Legat. p. 415, Of the few painters who still maintained the
Reiske) "a painter of perfume-pots and tambours" dignity of the dying art, the following may be men(&Aua-'-vpoOiccas Kal Tr'y7rava). tioned: Mydon of Soli; Nealces, Leontiscus, and
Ecllion also, of uncertain country, is mentioned Timanthes, of Sicyon; Arcesilaus, Erigonus, and
by Cicero (Brut. 18) and Pliny (HF. N. xxxv. 36) Pasias, of uncertain country; and Metrodorus of.s a famous painter. Pliny speaks of a picture of a Athens, equally eminent as a painter and as a
bride by him as a noble painting, distinguished for philosopher. The school of Sicyon, to which the
its expression of modesty. A great compliment is majority of the distinguished painters of this period
also incidentally paid to the works of Echion by belonged, is expressly mentioned by Plutarch
Cicero (Parad. v. 2), where he is apparently (A4rat. 12) as the only one which still retained any
ranked with Polycletus. traces of the purity and the greatness of style of
Theon of Samos was distinguished for what the the art of the renowned ages. It appears to have
Greeks termed mavracrioal, according to Quintilian been still active in the time of Aratus, about 250
(1. c.), who also ranks him with the painters of the B. C., who seems to have instilled some of his own
highest class. Pliny (H. N. xxxv. 40), however, enterprising spirit into tle artists of his time.
classes him with those of the second degree. Aelian Aratus was a great lover of the arts, sbut this did
gives a spirited description of a young warrior snot hinder him from destroying the portraits of the
painted by Theon. (V. H. ii. 44.) Tyrants of Sicyon; one only, and that but parXIV. Declise. The causes of the decline of tially, was saved. (Pnlut. A2rat. 13.)
painting in Greece are very evident. The political It was already the fashion in this age to talk of
revolutions with which it was convulsed, and the the inimitable works of the great masters; and the
v-arious dynastic changes which took place after the artists generally, instead of exerting themselves to
death of Alexander, were perhaps the principal imitate the masterpieces of past ages, seem to have
obstacles to any important efforts of art; the in- been content to admire thesn. All works bearing
telligent and higher classes of the population, upon great names were of the very hiohest value, and
whom painters chiefly depend, being to a great ex- were sold at enormous prices. Plutarch mentions
tent engrossed by politics or engaged in war. that Aratus bought up some old pictures, but parAnother influential cause was, that the public ticularly those of Melanthus ansd Pa;mphilus, and
buildings were already rich in works of art, almost sent them as presents to Ptolemy III. of Egypt,
even to the exhaustion of the national mythology to conciliate his favour, and to induce him to join
and history; and the new rulers found the transfer the Achaean league. Ptolemy, who was a great
of works already renowned a more sure ald a more admirer of the arts, was gratified with these preexpeditious method of adorning their public halls sents, and presented Aratus with 150 talents in con-.
and palaces, than the more tardy and hazardous sideration of them. (Plunt. Arat. 12.) These were,
alternative of requiring original productions from however, by no means the first wvorks of the great
contemporary artists. paiilters of Greece, which had founld their way into
The consequence was, that the artists of those Egypt. Ptolemy Soter had employed agents in
times were under the necessity of trying other Greece to purchase the works of celebrated masters.
fields of art; of attracting attention by novelty and (P!lt. Mtor. Epicsur. c. II.) Athenacus also (v.
variety: thus rhyparography.(pvcrapo7paloa), per- p. 196, e.) expressly mentions the pictures of Sisnography, and all the lower classes of art, attained cyoniain masters vwhich contributed to add to the
tile ascendancy andbecame the characteristic styles pomp anld display of the celebrated festival of
of the period. Yet during the early part of this Ptolemy Philadelphus at Alexanldria.
period of decline, from about B. C. 300, until the From the time of Alexander the spirit of tche
destruction of Corinth by nMllllmius, B. c. 146, Greeks animated EIgyptian artists, who adopted
there cwrere still several names which upheld the standard of Grecian beauty in proportion and
the anicient glory of Grecian painting, but subse- character. Antiphilus, one of the most celebrated
qnent to the conquest of Greece by the Romans, painters of antiquity, was a native of Egypt, perwhat -was previously but a gradual and scarcely haps of Naucratis. (Diet. of Biog. s. v.) Many
sensible decline, then became a rapid and a total other Greek painters also were established in Egypt,
decay. and both the population and arts of Alexanldri
1ns the lower descriptions of painting which pre- were more Greek than Egyptian. (Quint. xii. 10
vailed in this period, Pyreicus was pre-eminent; Plin. H. N. xxxv. 37 and 40; Athel. v. p. 196.)
he was termed Rhyparographos (pv7rapoypcpos), A11mongst tile most remarkable productions of
on account of the meanl quality of his subjects. He this period were, the celebrated ship of I-iero 1I.
belonged to the class of genre-painters, or "peintres of Syracuse, which had Mosaic floors, inl which
de genre bas," as the French term them. The the wihole history of the fall of Troy was worked
Greek pumraposypaq5ia therefore is apparently equi- with admirable skill (Athen. v. p. 207, c.), and the
valent to our expression, the Dutch style. (Sec immense ship of Ptolemy Philopator, on thile prow
Diet. of Biog. art Pyreicics.) and sters of which were carved colossal figures;
Pornogrophy, or obscene paiiting, which, in the eighteen feet in height; and the whole vessel,