: 



PHIDIAS. 



riUI.EMON. 



784 



Ionic migration led by the ion* of Cadmus (Strmbo, xiv. p. 6S2). Com- 

 pare Clinton'i ' KaM. Hell.,' vol. ii. p. 372. The fragmenU of Pherc- 

 ojdcs bare been published by Stun under the title of ' Pherecydi* 

 Ifagmenta, e variis <criptoribus collegit, emends vit, commentationem 

 de Pherecyde utroque, et historico cl philosopho pnouiiait, &&,' Uerae, 

 1787; 2nd edition, Lip., 1824; also by C. and T. MuiU-r, in 'Frag. 

 Hia*. Onto..' Paris, 1811. 



PHIDIAS, one of the moat celebrated artist* of antiquity, was a 

 native of A them. Hi* father's name wai Charmidaa. The exact time 

 of hi birth U not known, but, as far ai can be judged from the 

 ascertained date* of aome of his works, it seems to be generally 

 admitted that it must hare occurred between the seventieth and 

 seventy-third Olympiads, that is, from 490 to 480 B.C. It U said that 

 in early life Phidias practised painting, but there is no authority for 

 hi* baring followed it as a profession, and if he ever practised it, at 

 it is probable he did, from some of his family being painters, he doubt- 

 leas soon relinquished it for the sister art of sculpture, in which he 

 afterwards became so eminent Phidias, according to ancient writers, 

 had two masters, Hippiat, and Eladoa, Geladas or Ageladaa. Hippias 

 is mentioned only by one author (Dion. C'hrysostom., Oral.,' IT.), and 

 the modern writers on the life of Phidias seem disposed to reject that 

 testimony. (Erueric David, Miiller, Sillig, and others.) Ageladas 

 was one of the most distinguished artiste of the age. He was a native 

 of Argot. 



The times in which Phidias lived were peculiarly favourable to the 

 development of his genius and talents, and his ability must have been 

 shown at a very early age, as it appears he was extensively employed 

 upon great public works, even during the administration of Cimon. 

 Afterwards, when Pericles attained the supreme power in Athens, 

 Phidias seems to have been consulted on all occasions in which the 

 embellishment of the city, either by magnificent buildings or by 

 sculptured decorations, was contemplated. "It was Phidias," says 

 Plutarch (' Pericles '), " who bad the direction of these works, although 

 great architects and skilful artificers were employed in erecting 

 them." Among the more remarkable objects upon which his talents 

 were at this time exercised, the temple of Minerva, called the Parthe- 

 non, justly claims pre-eminence. No pains and no expense were 

 spared to make this one of the most splendid and perfect monuments 

 of art ; and, fortunately, enough exists in the present day, both of 

 its architecture and sculptural decorations, to confirm the high 

 encomiums passed upon it by those who saw it in its perfection. The 

 temple itself was constructed of marble. The architects employed 

 upon it, under the direction and superintendence of Phidias, were 

 Callicratoa and Ictinus; but the statue of the goddess within the 

 temple wss the work of Phidias himself, and, with the exception of 

 the statue of the Olympian Jupiter, which be made at Elis, was the 

 most celebrated of his performances. Minerva was represented 

 standing. In one hand she held a spear ; in the other a statue of 

 Victory. Her helmet, highly decorated, was surmounted by a sphinx. 

 The caked parts of the figure were made of ivory. The eyes were 

 of precious stones, and the drapery throughout was of gold of which 

 metal, it is said, no less than forty talents' weight was used. We are 

 told that by the advice of Pericles, Phidias so arranged the drapery that 

 it could at any time be removed without injury. This seems to have been 

 suggested by the feeling that the Athenians might possibly desire to 

 ascertain whether the gold was fairly appropriated ; and subsequent 

 events proved the wisdom of the counsel. The people, desiring to 

 have all the glory of this work, bad a decree passed prohibiting 

 Phidias from inscribing his name on the statue, but he contrived to 

 introduce his own portrait (as an old bald-headed man, hurling a stone) 

 in the repres ntation of the combat of the Athenians and Amazons 

 which decorated the shield. A likeness of Pericles was also intro- 

 duced in the same composition. The exterior of this temple wss 

 likewise enriched with sculpture ; the two pediments, the metopes, 

 and the frieze being filled with statues and riliovi, many of them from 

 the hand and all of them executed under the direction of Phidias. 

 Part of these (known now as the Elgin Marbles, from their having 

 been brought to this country by the earl of Elgin) form a portion of 

 our collection of sculpture in the British Museum. [BASSO KII.IKVO ; 

 ELUIH MABBLCS, in ABTS AHD Sen NCE Div.J Of their merits it is 

 enough to say that the most eminent judges of modern times hare 

 without exception added their testimony to that of the ancients by 

 bestowing on them the highest commendation. 



The enemies of Pericles, with the view of implicating him also in 

 the charge, accused Phidias of having misapplied part of the gold 

 entrusted to him for the statue of Minerva, and desired that he should 

 be brought to trial The prudent foresight of Pericles saved both 

 I'hidias and himself. He immediately ordered the gold to be taken 

 off and weighed before the people. This however was not done, and 

 the accusation of embezzlement fell to the ground. They then 

 declared the sculptor was guilty of sacrilege in having placed his own 

 portrait on the shield of Minerva. Some accounts say he was thrown 

 into prison, and there died by poison ; others that he was banished. 

 Some affirm there was no sentence passed, but that fearing the con- 

 sequenoes of this charge, the sculptor fled from Athens and took 

 range in Kli, and that he was employed there to execute a costly 

 statue of the Olympian Jupiter, to be erected in his temple in Altis. 

 This statue was the most renowned of the works of Phidias. It wss 



of colossal dimensions, and was what the ancients called ' chrysele- 

 phantine ;' that is, composed of. gold and ivory. The god was 

 represented seated on his throne. His brows were crowned with a 

 wreath of olive, and he held in his hand a statue of Victory. Tho 

 accessories and enrichments of the throne, footstool, and pedestal, 

 which were of the highest quality of art, are described by Pausanias 

 (v. 11, 14, 15), Strabo (viii. p. 363, Caaaub.), and other ancient writers ; 

 and in the valuable work by M. Quatremcre de Quiucy, 'Sur le 

 Jupiter Olympien.' 



A tradition connected with this statue is interesting from its exhi- 

 biting the importance which the Greeks attached to works of art of 

 high character and merit Phidias, after the completion of his 

 design, is said to have prayed Jupiter to favour him with some inti- 

 mation of the divine approbation. A flash of lightning immediately 

 darted into the temple and struck the pavement before him. This 

 was hailed as a proof of the favour of the god, and in commemoration of 

 the event a brazen urn or vase was placed on the spot Pausanias 

 (v. 11) gays that thia existed in bis time. It is pretended that 

 I'hidias was again accused of robbery by the people of Elis, and that 

 he died in prison. There are however strong reasons for thinking 

 that these accusations against Phidias not only are false, but that the 

 accounts of bis death and disgrace are not founded on fact. 

 can be little doubt, from an expression in Aristophanes ('Peace,' 605, 

 &C.), that on unjust feeling bad been excited against Phidias, though 

 it is not clear whether he fled or was exiled; and it seems highly 

 probable that ho died at Elis. Miiller (' De VitA Phidiao '), on the 

 other hand, supposes that Phidias executed the Minerva of the 

 Parthenon, and was then invited by the people of Eli* to execute for 

 them the statue of Jupiter; that he returned to Athens, and was, 

 after a time, accused by the enemies of Pericles, who threw him into 

 prison, where he died in the STth Olympiad. The scholiast on Aris- 

 tophanes (' Peace,' 604) says he died at Elis : it is also said that he 

 was put to death by the people of Elis, but for what reason is not 

 stated, though some say it was to prevent his ever producing a work 

 that bhould eclipse their statue. An honour which was paid to his 

 memory would go far to disprove the assertion that he suffered the 

 death of a criminal. The care of his master-piece, the statue of the 

 Olympian Jupiter, was entrusted to his family under the title of 

 I'haidruntai. His study or workshop near the temple was alo pre- 

 served with great respect, and in the middle of it an altar was raised, 

 consecrated to all the gods. Pausuuias (v. 14) tells us that the 

 1'haidruntni, descendants of Phidias, existed in his time COO years 

 after the erection of the statue of Jupiter. The death of Phidias is 

 placed about B.C. 432. 



Phidias has been called the " sculptor of the gods " (Quintiliau, xii. 

 10) from the grand and sublime character which he threw into his 

 productions. Reference has already been made to his two greatest 

 works, the Minerva of the Parthenon, and the Jupiter at Elis. He 

 also executed much admired statues, some in marble, but chiefly in 

 bronze, of Venus, Apollo, Mercury, an Amazon, 4c., &c. (See 

 Pausanias, passim; Plin., 'Hist Nat,' xxxvi. ; Lucian, 'De Imag.') 

 His statues of Minerva were numerous : no less than eight or nine are 

 recorded. One of these, the Minerva Areia of the Plateaus, was of 

 wood, gilt ; with the exception of the extremities, which were made 

 of the marble of Pentelicus. Although Phidias exercised his skill as 

 a sculptor in all the materials which were in general use for the pur- 

 poses of art, gold, ivory, bronze, marble, and even wood, yet his 

 productions in a mixture of the two former (chryselephantine 

 sculpture) appear to have been the most highly esteemed, both from 

 the extensive scale upon which he used such rich materials, and 

 from the great importance of the works to which they were applied. 

 This is a branch of what the ancients called toreutic art, which seems 

 to mean the union of metal with any other material 



Phidias brought to perfection the grand or sublime htyle of sculp- 

 ture. The artists before him are represented as having a hard, stiff, 

 dry manner. Phidias improved upon this by making a more careful 

 selection and use of the finest models in nature. After Phidias a 

 softer style was introduced, in which Praxiteles, and a fur him 

 Lysippun, were eminent The age of I'hidias is justly considered the 

 grand and golden age of sculpture. 



PHILA'RETUS (QAdprro,), the reputed author of a short treatise 

 ' De Pulsibus,' which is written in Greek, but of which only a Latin 

 translation has hitherto bem published. Nothing is known about his 

 life, nor the time when he lived ; nor is it even certain that he is the 

 author of the work in question, as it is sometimes attributed to Philn- 

 theus and sometimes to Theophilus Prototpatbarius. It was written 

 (as the author tells us) because he thought all former writers on the 

 subject were cither too superficial and inaccurate or too prolix ; but it 

 is not of much value, and seldom if ever ventures to differ from Oalcn. 

 It consists of ten chapter*, and was translated by Albinus Torinus, 

 and published, Basel, 1633, Svo. An older and barbarous translation 

 is inserted in the various editions of the curious old collection of 

 medical works called ' Articclla.' The translation by Albanus Torinus 

 is to be found also in the second volume of the ' Mcdic:c Artis 1'rin- 

 cipe,' by 11. Stephens, Paris, 1587, folio. 



I'HIljK'MON (QAJnuv), a writer of the new comedy, was born at 

 Soli in Cilicia, according to Strabo (xv. C71), or at Syracuse, according 

 to Suidas (' Philemon.'). Philemon began to exhibit comedies a littlu 



