the Earl of Elgin’s Collection of Marbles, ce, 277 
from a passage in a cotemporary poet, Aristophanes, proves 
that the value of these materials involved both Pericles and the 
director of his works in great trouble and jeopardy; upon which 
account the latter is said to have withdrawn to Elis, and to have 
ended his days there, leaving it doubtful whether his death was 
natural, or in consequence of a judicial sentence: but Plutarch 
places his death at Athens, and in prison, either by disease or 
by poison. 
It has been doubted whether Phidias himself ever wrought in | 
marble ; but although, when he did net use ivory, his chief 
material was unquestionably bronze; there are authorities suf- 
ficient to establish, beyond all controversy, that he sometimes 
applied his hand to marble. Pliny, for instance, asserts that he 
did so, and mentions a Venus ascribed to him, existing in his 
own time in the collection (or in the portico) of Octavia. Phi- 
dias is cailed by Aristotle a skilful worker in stone; and Pau- 
sanias enumerates a celestial Venus of Parian marble, undoubt- 
edly of his hand; and the Rhamnusian Nemesis, also of the same 
material. Some of his statues in bronze were brought to Rome 
by Paulus Aimilius, and by Catulus. 
His great reputation, however, was founded upon his repre- 
sentations of the gods, in which he was supposed more excellent 
than in human forms, and especially upon his works in ivory, in 
which he stood unrivalled *. 
Elidas the Argive is mentioned as the master of Phidias; which 
henour is also shared by Hippias. His two most celebrated, 
scholars were Aleamenes an Athenian of noble birth, and Ago- 
racritus of Paros; the latter of whom was his favourite; and it 
was reported, that out of affection to him, Phidias put his 
scholar’s name upon several of his own works: among which the 
statue called Rhamnusian Nemesis is particularized by Pliny and 
Suidas. 
In another passage of Pliny, Alcamenes is classed with Critias, 
Nestocles, and Hegias, who are called the rivals of Phidias. The 
name of Colotes is preserved as another of his scholars. 
The other great sculptors who were living at the same time 
with Phidias, and flourished very soon after him, were Agelades, 
Callon, Polycletus, Phragmon, Gorgias, Lacon, Myron, Pytha- 
goras, Scopas, and Perelius. 
The passage in which Pausanias mentions the sculptures on 
the pediments is extremely short, and to this effect: ‘* As you 
enter the temple which they call Parthenon, all that is contained 
in what is termed the (eagles) pediments, relates in every par- 
ticular to the birth of Minerva; but on the opposite or back 
+ Quintilian xii. ce. 10. 
8:3 . front 
