BOOK XXXV. XXXVI. 62-65 



name embroidered in gold lettering on the checked 

 pattern of his robes. Afterwards he set about giving 

 away his works as presents, saying that it was im- 

 possible for them to be sold at any price adequate 

 to their value : for instance he presented his Alcmena 

 to the city of Girgenti and his Pan to Archelaus.*» 

 He also did a Penelope in which the picture seems to 

 portray morality, and an Athlete, in the latter case 

 being so pleased with his own work that he wrote 

 below it a line of verse ^ which has hence become 

 famous, to the effect that it would be easier for some- 

 one to carp at him than to copy him. His Zeus 

 seated on a throne Mith the gods standing by in 

 attendance is also a magnificent work, and so is the 

 Infant Heracles throttling two Snakes in the presence 

 of his mother Alcmena, looking on in alarm, and of 

 Amphitryon. Nevertheless Zeuxis is criticized for 

 making the heads and joints ^ of his figures too large 

 in proportion, albeit he was so scrupulously careful 

 that when he was going to produce a picture ^ for 

 the city of Girgenti to dedicate at the pubHc cost in 

 the temple of Lacinian Hera he held an inspection 

 of maidens of the place paraded naked and chose 

 five, for the purpose of reproducing in the picture 

 the most admirable points in the form of each. He 

 also painted monochromes in white.« His contem- zeuxisand 

 poraries and rivals were Timanthes, Androcydes, Parrhasiui. 

 Eupompus and Parrhasius. This last, it is recorded, 

 entered into a competition with Zeuxis, who pro- 

 duced a picture of grapes so successfully represented 

 that birds flew up to the stage-buildings /; where- 

 upon Parrhasius himself produced such a realistic 

 picture of a curtain that Zeuxis, proud of the verdict 

 of the birds, requested that the curtain should now 



309 



