philostratus, 1.1 original

8/13/2019 Philostratus, 1.1 ORIGINAL

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PHILOSTRATUS

IMAGINES

BOOK T



4)IA02TPATOY

EIKONES

294 K. (1) OcTTf? /x?) ciaTrdêTai ti]v ^coypacptav,

aSiKel rrjv aXijOeiav, aSi/cet koI aocpiav, orroarf

e? 7roi7]Ta(i i]K€L—(fôpci yap tat] ajiKpolv e? ra tmv

r)p(oa)v epya Kal ecST]—^vpfierpLav re ov/c eTTaivel,

6 hC r)v KoX \6yov i) re^vr) aTrreraL. Kal fiovXo-

fxevcp fxev ao^lêcOaL Secov to euprj/j-a Blci re ra

ivyfj

eiSr], oiToaa tov<; \€LfiMva<; at ^flpac ypd-

(povai, hid re ra iv ovpavw (f)at.v6fjL€va, /3aaavL-

ôvTL he TTjv yeveaiv t?}? reî^?;? /j.L/jii](Ti<; fxev

10 evprjjia Trpeaffvrarov fcal ^vyyevearaTcv rrj

(j)v<jer evpov Se avryv aocpol avSpe<^ to /j,€v

^(i)ypa<plav, to Be Tr\aaTLKi)v (f)i]aavTe<;.

(2) 7T\aaTLKi]<; /nev ovv iroWa etSr]—Kal yap

avTO TO irXdTTeiv Kal t) iv tm ')(a\Kw jiifxriaL^

15 Kal ol êo^'T69 ttjv XvySlvrjv rj tiiv Yiapiav \i6ov

Kal 6 iXe(pa<; Kal vi] Aua i) yXvcpLKr] irXaaTiKi]—^(oypa(f)ia Be ^v/jLêfiXrjTat jxev iK pct)/xaTa)i^,

iTpdTTei he ov tovto /jlovov, dXXa koI irXeiw

(TO(f>iêTai diTo tovtov €V0<; ovto<; rj diro twv

^ Lygdiau stone : an unusually fine white marble used

both for sculpture and for gems. Pliny, iV^.^. 36. 13 ; Diod.

Sic. II. p. 135.

2



PHILOSTRATUS

IMAGINES

BOOK 1

Whosoever scorns painting is unjust to truth;

and he is also unjust to all the wisdom that has been

bestowed upon poets—for poets and painters make

equal contribution to our knowledge of the deeds

and the looks of heroes— and he withholds his

praise from symmetry of proportion^ whereby art

partakes of reason. For one who wishes a clever

theory^ the invention of painting belongs to the

gods—witness on earth all the designs with which

the Seasons paint the meadows^ and the mani-

festations we see in the heavens—but for one who is

merely seeking the origin of the art, imitation is

an invention most ancient and most akin to nature ;

and wise men invented it, calling it now painting,

now plastic art.

There are many forms of plastic art—plastic

art proper, or modelling, and imitation in bronze,

and the work of those who carve Lygdian^ or Parian

marble, and ivory carving, and, by Zeus, the art of

gem-cutting is also plastic art—while painting is

imitation by the use of colours ; and not only does it

employ colour, but this second form of art cleverly

accomplishes more with this one means than the



PHILOSTRATUS: IMAGINES

20 ttoWmv 7]^ erepa rix^r). aKidv re 'yap airo-

(f)aLi>€L fcal l3Xe/jLfia ywcoaKei, ciWo fxev rov jie-

/jLtjvoto^^ aXXo Be rod aXyovvTO<; i) ^(âipopTO^,

KoX av'ya<; o/jL/jlutcov oirolai elaiv 6 TrXaartKcx;

ixev Ti? ijfCLara ipydêraL, x^^porrov Se ofjuixa koI

25 yXavKov Kol fieXav ypa<^LKr) olSe, koI âvdr]v

295 K. KOfiTjv olhe Kol TTvparjV Kol i)XtS)aav koI iaOf]TO<;

XpMfJiaKol ottXcov OaXdfiovi re Koi olKLa<; koI

dXat] Kol 6p7] Kol irriyh'; koI top alOepa, iv

u) ravra.

5 (8) ocroi fiev ovv Kpdro^ 'tjpavTO tt}? eTTiarrj-

/i7]<^ KOL oaai TToXet? Kal oaot âcnXel^ epcori e?

avTTjv e;\;/^7;câ^'T0, dXXoi<; re eipTjrat Kal 'Apiaro-

B7]/jL(p TUi €K Kapta?, ov iyot) eVt ^coypa(f)ia êvov

eTTOirjadfJLrjv eTCov reacrdpcov— eypacê he Kara

10 Tr]V ^vfirjXov GOîav iroXv to iTTixapc e? avrrjv

(j)epo)V— X6yo<; Be ov irepl ^coypd^wv ovB'

iGjopia^ avroiv vvv, dXX etSy] ^{oypa(f)ia<;

dirayyeXXofjueu ofiiXia^; avra roh veoi<; ^vvtl-

Oevre^;, dcf)^ mv epiirjvevaova-L re Kal rov BoKLfMOv

eTnfieXrjcTOVTai.

15 (4) d(j)opj:ial Be /jloi tovtwvI tcov Xoycov aiBe

eyevovTO' rjv fxev 6 irapd roU NeaTToXtraf? dycov

—?; Be TToXf? iv 'IraXio, (pKiarai yevo<; EXXi]ve<i

Kal dcTTiKOL, oOev Kal ra? GTT0vBd<; roov Xoycov

'EXXrji'iKOL elai—/SovXo/jievw Be jiot ra? fxeXera^

20 piT] iv Tw (j)avep(p TroLelaOai Trapelx^v 6)(Xov rd

aeipaKia (f)0LT(0VTa inl tjjv olkIuv tov êvov.

KareXvov Be efo) rov TeLXOV<; iv irpoaareiw

reTpa/JL/xevw e? OdXaaaav, iv w arod t^? e^wKO-

^7) added by Jacobs.



BOOK I

other form with its many means. For it both repro-

duces light and shade and also permits the observer

to recognize the look, now of the man who is mad,

now of the man who is sorrowing or rejoicing. The

varying nature of bright eyes the plastic artist does

not bring out at all in his work ; but the grey

eye, the '^blue eye, the ^'^ black eye are known

to painting ; and it knows chestnut and red and

yellow hair, and the colour of garments and ofarmour, chambers too and houses and groves and

mountains and springs and the air that envelops

them all.

Now the story of the men who have won mastery

in the science of painting, and of the states and

kings that have been passionately devoted to it,

has been told by other writers, notably by Aristo-demus of Caria, whom I visited for four years in

order to study painting ; and he painted in the

technique of Eumelus, but with much more charm.

The present discussion, however, is not to deal with

painters nor yet with their lives ; rather we propose

to describe examples of paintings in the form of

addresses which we have composed for the young,that by this means they may learn to interpret paint-

ings and to appreciate what is esteemed in them.

The occasion of these discourses of mine was as

follows : It was the time of the public games at

Naples, a city in Italy settled by men of the Greek

race and people of culture, and therefore Greek in

their enthusiasm for discussion. And as I did not

wish to deliver my addresses in public, the young

men kept coming to the house of my host and

importuning me. I was lodging outside the walls in

a suburb facing the sea, where there was a portico



PHILOSTRATUS: IMAGINES

hofi^-jTO Kara êcpvpov avefjuov eVt Terrdpcov ol/xai

25 rj Kal irevre 6pocf)cbv aôpwaa e? to TvppijviKov7T€Xayo<;. ya-rpaTrre fxei' ovv Kal XiOoi^, oiroaov^

eiraivel Tpv(j)/], pdXtcrra Se yvOei ypa(j)ai<i ivijp-

fio(7jjLevcov avrfj ttlvolkcov, ou? ipLol BoKeiv ovk

d/jLad(o<; ^ Ti9 crvveXeâro' ao(f)La yap iv avroU

30 iBi]\ovTo TrXeiovcov ^coypdcfxov. (5) iyo) p.ev an

ifiavTOv cp/jirjv Selv eiraLvelv rd'^ ypa(f)d<;, rjv he

dpa vi6<; TO) ^€V(p ko/jLlStj v60<;, ei? eT09 SeKarov,

7]Ei] cf)iX7]Koo<; Kal yâipcov tm fxavQdveiv, o?

€7T6(f)vXaTre yue iiriovTa avTa^; Kal iSelro fiov

35 €p/JL7jv€V6Lv Ttt? ypa(f)d^. Xv ovv /xt) GKaiov fie

i^yolro, earai ravTa,^' ecfiijv Kal eirihei^Lv

296 K. avjd TroLTjao/jueOa, iireihav yjKy rd fieipdKta.''

d(piKOfjL€V(ov ovv 6 fiev Trat?, €(f)7}v, Trpo/Se-

/3X7](Tdu) Kal dvaKeiadw tovtm i) (TirovSr] rod

Xoyov, L'/xet9 3e eireaOe /jbrj ^vvriOe/jêvoL /jlovov,

dXXd Kal epcoTMvre^, €l ti p.?] aacô}'^ (ppdôL/xi,.''

a' 2KAMANAP0S

5 (1) Eyi^co?, (a) iral, ravra 'Op.7]pov ovra rj ov

TraoTTore 6yv(OKa<; SrjXahj] 6avp.a i)youixevo'^, ottw^

hijiroTe 6^7] 2 TO irvp iv rw vBari, ; crvfifidXcopLev

ovv 6 TL voet, av Be dirojSXeylrov avrcov, oaov

€K€Lva loeiv, d(j)^ wv y ypacp/]. olaOd irov t?}?

10 'iXtttSo? Trfv yv(op,7]v, iv ol? Op.i'}po<^ dviaryjcri,

pev Tov Â)(^LXXea iirl tw WarpoKXw, KivovvraL

Be ol 6eol TToXepetv dXXi]Xoi<^. rovrcov ovv rcxiv

irepl Tov<; 6eov<; ?; ypa<f)r] rd p,€v dXXa ovk olBe,

^ aixad'Jcs Reiske and Thiersch : anadi^s.

2 ^Cî F and M 1 P; Cv Reiske.



BOOK I. I

built on four, I think^ or possibly five terraces, open

to the west wind and looking out on the Tyrrhenian

sea. It was resplendent with all the marbles

favoured by luxury, but it was particularly splendid

by reason of the panel-paintings set in the walls,

paintings which I thought had been collected with

real judgment, for they exhibited the skill of very

many painters. The idea had already occurred to

methat 1 ought to speak in praise of the paintings,

Avhen the son of my host, quite a young boy, only

ten years old but already an ardent listener and

eager to learn, kept watching me as I went from one

to another and asking me to interpret them. So in

order that he might not think me ill-bred,^'^ Very

well, I said, we will make them the subject of a

discourse as soon as the young men come. Andwhen they came, I said, Let me put the boy in

front and address to him my effort at interpretation;

but do you follow, not only listening but also asking

questions if anything I say is not clear.

1. SCAMANDER

Have you noticed, my boy, that the painting

here is based on Homer, or have you failed to do so

because you are lost in wonder as to how in the

world the fire could live in the midst of the water ?

Well then, let us try to get at the meaning of it.

Turn your eyes away from the painting itself so as to

look only at the events on which it is based. Surely

you are familiar with the passage in the Iliad where

Homer makes Achilles rise up to avenge Patroclus,

and the gods are moved to make battle with each

other. Now of this battle of the gods the painting

philostratus, 1.1 original

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