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

PRAXITELES. PRECIANUS. 521
was still at Thespiae in the time of Cicero, who works of this class, for which the reader is referred
says that visits were made to that city expressly to Muller (1. c.) and Sillig (s. v.), the only one reto see it. (In Verr. iv. 2.) It was removed to qniring special mention is the marble group of
Rome by Caligula, restored to Thespiae by Clau- Hermes carrying the infant Dionysus, of which
dius, and carried back by Nero to Rome, where it copies are supposed to exist in a bas-relief and a
stood in Pliny's time in the schools of Octavia, and vase-painting. (Paus. v. 17. ~ 1; Miiller, Arch. d.
it finally perished in the conflagration of that Kunst, 1. c.)
building in the reign of Titus. (Paus. ix. 27. ~ 3; 4. Subjects from the i'yt]hology of Apollo. This
Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 5. s. 4. ~ 5; Dion Cass. lxvi. class contained one of the most celebrated statues
24.) Its place at Thespiae was supplied by a of Praxiteles, namely the bronze figure of Apollo
marble copy by MENODORUS. (Paus. I. c.) There the Lizardcl-slayer (Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. ~ l0;
was in the same place a bronze statue of Eros, puberem Apollinenm subrepenti Lacertae cominuls
made by Lysippus, in emulation of the work of insidientern, qulee Sauroctonon vocant; comp. MarPraxiteles. (ib.) tial, Ep. xiv. 172). Numerous copies of it exist;
The other statue of Eros, at Parium on the Pro- some in marble, one in bronze, and several on
pontis, is said by Pliny (I. c.) to have equalled the gems. (Muller, Alrch. d. Kunst, 1. c. n. 7, Denkmaler,
Cnidian Venus. Nothing is known of its history, vol. i. pl. xxxvi. n. 147, a. b.)
nnless it be (which is extremely probable) the There still remain numerous works of Praxiteles,
same as that of which the Sicilian, Heists, was a full enumeration of which will be found in Sillig.
robbed by Verres. (Cic. in Ferr. 1. c.) Callistratus (Cat. Artif. s.v.) It was an undecided question
ascribes two bronze statues of Eros to Praxiteles; among the ancients, whether the celebrated group
but the truth of this statement is doubtful, and the of Niobe was the work of Praxiteles or of Scopas.
author may perhaps have confounded the bronze One point in the technical processes of Praxistatue at Thespiae by Lysippus with the marble one teles deserves particular notice. It is recorded by
by Praxiteles. (Callist. Eccphr. 3, 11.) A copy of one Pliny that Praxiteles, on being asked which of his
of these statues is seen in a beautiful torso found at own works in marble he thought the best, replied,
Centocelle, on the road from Rome to Palestrina those in which Nicias had had a hand, "tantum,"
(Alus. Pio-Clem. i. pl. 12), of which there is a adds Pliny, "circumlitioei ejus tribuebat." (Plin.
more perfect specimen at Naples (Mzes. Borb. vi. H. N.r xxxv. 11. s. 40. ~ 28.) In all probability,
95); there is also a very similar figure among the this circumnlitio consisted in covering the marble
Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. (MfUller, with a tinted encaustic varnish, by which we can
Denkrniiler, vol. i. pl. xxxv. n. 144, 145.) To easily conceive how nearly it was made to rethis class of the artist's works belong also the semble flesh. (See Diet. of Ant. art. Pictura,
statues of Peitho and Paregoros, in the temple of ~ viii.) It was probably from a confused recolAphrodite Praxis at Megara. (Paus. i. 43. ~ 6.) lection of this statement in his Greek authorities
3. Subjectsfro thleiMylthology ofDionysus. The that Pliny had shortly before (1. c. 11. s. 39),
artist's ideal of Dionysus was embodied in a bronze mentioned Praxiteles as an improver of encaustic
statue, which stood at Elis (Paus. vi. 26. ~ 1), and painting.
which is described by Callistratus (Ecphr. 8). It Piaxiteles had two sons, who were also distinrepresented the god as a charming youth, clad guished sculptors, Timarchus and Cephisodotus II.
with ivy, girt with a Faun's skin, carrying the lyre (Pseudo-Plut. [it. X. Orat. pp. 843, 844; Paus. i.
and the thyrsus. He also treated the subject in a 8. ~ 5, ix. 12. ~ 5.) Respecting the error by which
famous bronze group, in which Dionysus was re- some writers make a second Praxiteles out of the
presented as attended by Intoxication and a Satyr artist Pasiteles, see PASITELES, No. 2. [P. S.]
(Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. ~ 10: Liberum PRAXI'THEA (Hpat&ea). 1. A daughter of
Patren et Eb-rietutem nobilemnque una Satyrumn, Phrasimus and Diogeneia, was the wife of Erechquem Graeci PeriboZton nominotnt). According to theus, and mother of Cecrops, Pandorus, Metion,
these words of Pliny, the celebrated statue of a Omens, Procris, Creusa, Chthonia, and Oreithyia.
satyr, which Praxiteles, as above related, ranked (Apollod. iii. 15. ~ 1.) Some call her a daughter
among his best works, was the figure in this group. of Cephissus. (Lycurg. c. Leocrat. 98.)
This may, however, be one of Pliny's numerous 2. A daughter of Thespius. (Apollod. ii. 7. ~ 8.)
mistakes, for it seems, from Pausanias's account of 3. A daughter of Leus in Athens, and a sister
this satyr, that it stood alone in the street of of Theore and Eubule. (Aelian, V. H. xii.
the tripods at Athens (Paus. i. 20. ~ 1; Ath. xiii. 28.) [L. S.]
p. 591, b.; Heylle, Antiq. Aufuaitze, vol. ii. p. 63). PRAXO, a lady of high rank at Delphi, who
It is generally supposed that we have copies of was connected by relations of hospitality with
this celebrated work in several marble statues re- Perseus, king of Macedonia. It was at her house
presenting a satyr resting against the trunk of a that the Cretan Evander, and the other emissaries
tree, the best specimen of which is that in the employed by Perseus to assassinate Eumenes in
Capitoline Museum (AMus. Cap. iii. 32; llus. B. c. 172, were lodged; on which account she was
FraUf. ii. pl. 12; Ales. Pio-Clems. ii. 30; Miiller, suspected of participating in the plot, and was
Arch. d. Kunst, ~ 127, n. 2, Denksniiler, vol. i. pl. carried to Romle by C. Valerius. Her subsequent
xxxv. n. 143). Another satyr, of Parian marble, fate is not mentioned. (Liv. xlii. 15,17.) [E. H.B]
was at Megara. (Paus. i. 43. s. 5.) Groups of PRE'CIA, the nmistress of P. Cethegus, was
Maenades, Thyiades, and dancing Caryatides are courted by Lucullus in order to use her influence
mentioned by Pliny among the marble works of with Cethegus, when he was seeking to obtain the
Praxiteles; and also some Sileni in the collection command against Mithridates. (Plut. Lucull. 6.)
of Asinius Pollio. (Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 5. s. 4. ~ 5; [CETHEGUS, NO. 7.]
Aemilian. Ep. 2, ap. Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 275, PREC1A'NUS, a jurisconsult, was a friend of
Aelzth. Pal. ix. 756; Bittiger, Amulth. vol. iii. Cicero and Trebatius, and had influence with
p. 147; Mdller, Archdol. 1. c.) Among other Caesar. Cicero menltions him inl a. c. 54 (Cic. adt