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

466 POLYGNOTUS. POLYGNOTUIJS.
referring to the paintings of Evanthes in the opis- followed the'IA[ov fIEoLss of the cyclic poet Arcthodomus of the temple of Jupiter Casius, men- tinus. Bittiger also supposes that there were
tioned by Achilles Tatius (iii. 6), not a very good two or three panels, representing different stages
authority (see EVANTHES). It may also be ob- of the event; a supposition for which there does
jected that the name of Polygnotus is not men- not seem to be sufficient reason. The subject, as
tioned in the extant inscription respecting the representing the first great victory of the united
works of this temple. But it is perhaps enough Greeks, was appropriately connected with the celeto say that the conjecture is too violent to be bration of their recent triumphs.
admitted by itself; especially when it is contrasted 3. In the Anaceium, or Temple of the Dioscuri,
with the explanation of Reinesius, who, for Ev roi at Athens, which was perhaps more ancient than
1&qoavpwe, would read evy r, &7rl~ews ept. Now, the time of Cimon, who seems to have repaired
the temple of Theseuns was built during the admi- and beautified it, Polygnotus painted the marriage
nistration of Cimon, after the translation of the of the daughters of Leucippus, as connected with
hero's remains from Scyros to Athens in B.c. 468. the mythology of the Dioscuri (loASVyovwro s tfv
If, therefore, as is almost certain, Cimon brought EXovTra es a-TOVs eypaE yaydl. to7 rsr avyaTErpwv
Polygnotus with him from Thasos in B.c. 463, it TrClv Aevcir7ro,, Pans. i. 18. ~ 1), and Micon
would almost certainly be partly with a view to painted the Argonautic expedition. The subject
the decoration of this very temple. Pausanias, of Polygnotus was evidently that favourite subject
indeed, in his description of the temple (i. 17. ~ 2), of ancient poetry and art, the rape of Phoebe and
ascribes the paintings in it to Micon, but this is Hilaera on their marriage-day, by Castor and
rather a confirmation of the argument than other- Pollux: the ancient form of the legend, which
wise, for these two artists more than once assisted was followed by Polygnotus, is supposed by Bitin decorating the same building. It is an obvious tiger to have been contained in the cyclic poem
conjecture, from a comparison of the dates, that entitled Cypria, which related to the events before
Micon was already employed upon the painting the Iliad. We still possess, in bas-reliefs on
of the temple before the arrival of Polygnotus, ancient sarcophagi, three if not four representations
who was then appointed to assist him. [Comp. of the story, which we may safely assume to have
MICON.] been imitated from the picture of Polygnotus, and
2. Paintings in the Stoa Poecile at Athens. - which strikingly display that uniform symmetry,
Among the works which Cimon undertook for the which we know to have been one characteristic of
improvement of the city, after the final termination his works, in contradistinction to the more natural
of the Persian wars, the spoils of which furnished grouping of a later period. In modern times,
him with the means, one of the first was the deco- Rubens has painted the story of Phoebe and
ration of the places of public resort, such as the Hilaera in a picture, now at Munich, which would
Agora and the Academy, the former of which he doubtless present a most interesting contrast to the
planted with plane-trees (Plut. Cim. 3). He also treatment of the same subject by Polygnotus, if we
enlarged and improved the portico which ran along had but the opportunity of comparing them. The
one side of the Agora, and which was called at sculptures also, which are presumed to have been
first the Portico of Peisianax (71 IesLLavdw'reLos taken after the painting of Polygnotus, have fur-eod), but afterwards received the name of the nished David with some ideas for his Rape of the
Poecile or Painted Por/ico (a roedciAr areod), from Sabine women. (Bbttiger, pp. 291-295.)
the paintings with which it was decorated. (Paus. 4. In the temple of Athena Areia at Plataeae,
i. 15; Muiller, Phid. 6; Bittiger, p. 275.) Ci- Polygnotus and Onatas painted the walls of the
mon executed this work soon after his return from front portico (that is, probably, the wall on each
Thasos (Plut. 1. c.), and employed Polygnotus side of the principal entrance); Polygnotus repreand Micon to decorate the portico with those sented Ulysses just after he had slain the suitors.
paintings, from which it afterwards obtained its (Paus. ix. 4. ~ 1; Hom. Od. xxii.)
name. The portico itself was a long colonnade, 5. His paintings on the walls of the temple of
formed by a row of columns on one side and a Thespiae have been already mentioned. Nothing
wall on the other; and against this wall were is known of their subject.
placed the paintings, which were on panels. 6. Paintings in the Lesche of the Cnidians at
These paintings, as they appeared in the time of Delphi.-Some of the same causes which led to
Pausanias, represented four subjects:- (l.) The the sudden development of art at Athens, in the
battle of Oenoi, fought between the Athenians age following that of the Persian wars, gave a
and Lacedaemonians, the painter of which was similar impulse to its advancement about the same
unknown; (2.) The battle of Theseus and the time in other places, especially at those two centres
Athenians with the Amazons, by Micon; (3.) of the Greek union and religion, Olympia and
The Greeks, after the taking of Troy, assembling Delphi. The great works at the former place have
to judge the case of Cassandra's violation by Ajax; been spoken of under PHaEIDIAS; those at the
this painting was by Polygnotus; (4.) The battle latter appear to have been executed not only about
of Marathon, by Panaenus; also ascribed to the same time (or rather, perhaps, a little earlier),
Micon and to Polygnotus, who may have assisted but also by Athenian artists chiefly.' We know,
in the work. (Paus. 1. c.; B6ttiger, pp. 274-290; for example, that the statues in the pediments of
MICON, PANAENUS.) From the description of the temple at Delphi were made by PRAXIAS of
Pausanias, it would seem that, in the picture of Athens, the disciple of Calamis, and finished, after
Polygnotus, the Greek chieftains, sitting in judg- -his death, by ANDROSTHENES, the disciple of Eument, formed the centre of the composition, with cadmus (Paus. x. 19. ~ 3). These artists must
the Grecian army grouped on the one.side, and, have been contemporary with Pheidias and Polyon the other, the Trojan captives, among whom gnotus; and there are some other indications
Cassandra was conspicuous. Bittiger supposes of the employment of Athenian artists at Delphi
that, in his treatment of the subject, the artist about the same period (Miiller, PhLid. p. 28, n. y.).