A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

456 POLYCLEITUS. POLYCL E ITUS.
from Lucian, the poets of the Anthology, and Canon as something different from the Dory?plorses;
other writers. Even while he lived Polvcleitus but that it really was this statue is plain from tile
was ranked among the very first artists: Xeno- statement already quoted from Cicero respecting
phons malkes Socrates place him on a level, as a Lysippus, and from other passages in the ancient
statuary, with Homer, Sophocles, and Zeuxis in writers (Cic. Orat. 2; Quintil. v. 12. ~ 21;
their respective arts. (lnem. i. 4. ~ 3.) The Galen, vol. i. p. 566, vol. iv. p. 606). Lucian
Socrates of Plato also speaks of him in terms describes the proportions of the human figure, as
which imply an equality with Pheidias. (Protag. exhibited in the Canon of Polycleitus, in terms
p. 31l, c.) which completely confirm the explalnation given
Of the artists who succeeded him, Lysippus above of the ter1n quadrata, as applied to his
especially admired him, and declared that his works, and which amount to this; that the figure
Doryphorus was his own teacher (Cic. Bruet. 8t)). should be moderate both in height and stoutness.
In fact Lysippus stood in much the same relation (Lucian. de Salt. 75, vol. ii. p. 309.) Quintililn
to the Argive school of Polycleitus as Praxiteles describes the figure as alike fit for war or for athto the Attic school of Pheidias and Alcamenes. letic games (I. c.).
An interesting anecdote is told by Aelian 2. A youth of tender age, bindinghis head with
( V. H. xiv. 8), respecting tile manner in which a fillet, the sign of victory in an athletic contest
Polycleitus proved the superiority of the rules of (diadumenuiz tnolliter ju.venemn, Plin. i. c.; Lucian.
art to popular opinion. He made two statues, one Philops. 18, vol. iii. p. 46). This work was valued
of which he finished to his own mind, and the at a hundred talents (Plin. 1. c.). The beautiful
other he exposed to public view, and altered it statue in the Villa Farnese is no doubt a copy of
according to the opinions expressed by the spec- it (Gerhard, Ant. Denkmhler, Cent. i. pl. 69;
tators. He then exhibited the statues together. Miiller, Denkmniiler d. alt. Kunst, vol. i. pl. 31,
One of them was universally admired; the other fig. 136).
was derided. "'You yourselves," exclaimed the 3. An athlete, scraping himself with a strigil
artist, " made the statue you abuse; I made the (destringentem. se, Plin. I. ec.).
one you admire." Plutarch relates a saying of 4. A naked figure, described by Pliny as tale
Polycleitus, that the work was the most difficult incessentem; an obscure phrase, which is explained
when the clay model had been brought to appa- by some to mean challenging to the game of tali
rent perfection. (Quaest. Conzv. ii. 3. p. 636, c.) (Harduin, ad loc.), by others, trampling down, or
The disciples of Polycleitus were Argius, Aso- spurning away, an opponent in the pancratimln.
podorus, Alexis, Aristeides, Phrynon, Dinon, (Jacobs, ad Philost. p. 435; Muller, Arch. d. Kunzst,
Athenodorus, Demeas Clitorius, Canachus II., ~ 120, n. 3.)
and Pericleitus. (Plin. H. AN. xxxiv. 8. s. 19; 5. A group of two naked boys playing at tali,
Pans. vi. 13. ~ 4; see the articles.) known by the name of Astracalizontes. In Pliny's
Plato refers to the two sons of Polycleitus, as timne this group stood in the Atrium of Titus, and
being also statuaries, but of no reputation in com- was esteemed by many as one of the most perfect
parison with their father: he does not, however, works of statuary. The British Museum contains
mention their names. (Protag. p. 328, c.) a portion of a similar group in marble, which was
Polycleitus was not only celebrated as a sta- found in the baths of Titus in the pontificate of
tnary in bronze, but also as a sculptor in marble, Urban VIII., and which was probably copied, but
as an architect, and as an artist in toreutic. His with some alterations, from the work of Polycleitus.
works in these departments will be mentioned (Townley ll'Iarbles, vol. i. p. 304.)
presently. His fame as a toreutic artist was so 6. A Mlercury, at Lysimlac!ia. (Plin. 1. c.)
great that he was considered, according to Pliny, 7. A Heracles Ageter, arming himself, which
to have perfected the art, which Pheidias had com- was at Rome in Pliny's time (Plin. I. c.; but the
menced, but had left incomplete: -" toreuticen reading is somewhat doubtful). Cicero also menlsic erudisse [jisdicatur], ut Phidias aperuisse." tions a Hercules by Polycleitus; but this seems to
(H.IN. 1. c. 2.) There are a few passages in have been a different work, in which the hero was
which Pulycleitus seems to be spoken of as a represented as killing the hydra (de Orat. ii. 16).
painter; but they are insufficient to establish the 8. A portrait statue of Artemon, surnamed Pefact. (See Sillig, Catal. Artif. s.v.) riphoretos, the military engineer employed by
Polycleitus wrote a treatise on the proportions Pericles in the war against Samos (Plin. 1. c.;
of the human body, which bore the same name as Pint. Per. 27).
the statue in which he exemplified his own laws, 9. An Amazon, which gained the first prize,
namely, Kacruz (Galen, crepi'roC Ka0aO''ITrurospd'rimv above Pheidias, Ctesilaus, Cydon, and Phradmon,
rat lIIa;Trcua, iv. 3, vol. iv. p. 449, ed. Kuihl). in the celebrated contest at Ephesus (Plin. H. 1.
The following were the chief works of Poly- xxxiv. 8. s. 19).
cleitus in bronze. The kind of bronze which he To the above list must be added some other
chiefly used was the Aeginetan; whereas his con- works, which are not mentioned by Pliny.
temporary Myron preferred the Delian. (Plin. 0. A pair of small but very beautiful CaneIL. N. xxxiv. 2. s. 5; Dict. of Ant. s. v. Aes.) phoroe (Cic. in Verr. iv. 3; Symmach. Ep. i. 23;
1. The Spear Bearer (Doryphorus), a-youthful Anzaltshea, vol. iii. p. 164).
figure, but with the full proportions of a man 11. A statue of Zeus Philius at Megalopolis, the
(viriliter ptlerzen, Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 1 9. ~ 2). dress and ornaments of which were similar to those
There can be no doubt that this was the statue appropriate to Dionysus (Paus. viii. 31. ~ 2. s. 4).
which became known by the name of Canon, because 12. Several statues of Olympic victors (Paus.
in it the artist had embodied a perfect representa- vi. ~ 4, 4. ~ 6, 7. ~ 3, 9. ~ 1, 13. ~ 4). But it
tion of the ideal of the human figure. and had cannot be determined whether these should be
thus, as Pliny says, exhibited art itself in a work ascribed to the elder or the younger Polycleitus.
of art. Pliny, indeed, appears to speak of this (See below, No. 2.)