Department of Classics
Assignment mark sheet: blog
Name Alex Widdowson
Personal
tutor
Module CL3AP
Blog topic: Apelles of Kos
NB Maximum number of points for each task are given in parentheses.
(10) INTRODUCTORY BLOG
(2) Introduce artist
2: Very thorough and well presented
(2) Present primary sources: actual art work, epigraphic, written testimonia
2: Very good.
(2) Artist’s role among contemporaries
2: V. good.
(2) Artist’s impact
2: V. Good
(2) Authorial viewpoint
1: Not clear where authorial view comes in.
(6) 3 comments of others (2 marks each)
6: Excellent responses (with personal opinion).
(6) TWO OF OWN BLOG COMMENTS (3 marks each)
5: Very good. Some less careful writing.
(3) REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
2: Good, but more about Apelles & ancient than about you!
(22 out of total 25, which equates to 88%)
Penalty Grade 22 Marker ACS
All grades for coursework essays are subject to verification by external examiners
and the examiners’ meeting.
CL3AP&Blog&Portfolio&
Introductory&Blog&5&Apelles&of&Kos&
Apelles"of"Kos"was"a"painter"in"4th"century"BC"Greece,"taught"by"Ephorus"and"Pamphilus."Pliny"states"
that"his"artwork"“…surpassed"all"those"who"were"born"before"him"and"all"those"who"came"later…”1,"
a"conviction"that"is"echoed"in"the"admiring"testimonies"of"several"other"ancient"writers,"including"
Quintilian,"Lucian,"and"Plutarch."
Anecdotes&&
Although"none"of"Apelles’"encaustic"paintings"survive,"there"are"a"number"of"anecdotes"that"
describe"his"works"and"confirm"his"artistic"talents."He"wrote"his"own"doctrines"and"was"said"to"
consider"himself"superior"to"his"peers,"despite"their"advantages"in"certain"areas,"as"his"art"possessed"
an"artistic"‘grace’"(charis)"that"theirs"lacked.2"His"realism"was"praised"by"Pliny,"who"claimed"that"he"
produced"an"image"of"horses"so"convincing"that"the"live"horses"present"began"to"neigh,"and"the"
subjects"of"his"portraits"were"so"lifelike"that"their"ages"could"be"accurately"deduced"by"a"
‘metoposcopoi’3"."Pliny"also"recounts"how"Apelles"and"his"rival"Protogenes"became"embroiled"in"a"
competition"of"drawing"lines"on"canvas,"which"was"ultimately"won"by"Apelles"due"to"the"“utmost"
fineness”4"of"his"lines."Gombrich"suggests"this"tale"may"
actually"have"been"demonstrating"Apelles’"excellent"
rendering"of"light"and"its"“lustre,"glitter"and"gleam.”5"
Quintilian"praised"him"for"innovatively"depicting"
Antigonus"in"profile"rather"than"the"front,"thus"
concealing"the"general’s"blind"eye.6"Furthermore"he"
invented"a"sheer"black"varnish"(atramentum)"that"he"
painted"over"his"artworks,"preserving"them"and"giving"
Fig."1"Pompeian"fresco"from"Casa"di"Venus"of"Venus"Anadyomene"
them"a"sheen"that"accentuated"the"colours,"but"this"
secret"formula"was"lost"upon"his"death.7"
Alexander&and&Apelles&
Plutarch"states"that"Apelles"was"already"“admired”8"for"his"artistic"talents"during"his"lifetime,"and"
this"recognition"of"his"artistic"talents"is"confirmed"by"his"position"as"court"painter"for"Alexander"the"
Great."Apelles"was"the"only"artist"to"create"portraits"of"Alexander,"a"testimony"to"Alexander’s"high"
regard"of"Apelles."Pliny"recounts"several"episodes"that"demonstrate"Alexander’s"affection"for"the"
artist,"for"example"when"Apelles"fell"in"love"with"Alexander’s"courtesan"Campaspe"while"painting"the"
original"Venus"Anadyomene,"Alexander"honoured"him"by"presenting"her"to"the"loveWstruck"painter."
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1
"Pliny"N.H/35.79W97"
2
"Pliny"N.H/35.79W97"
3
"Metoposcopoi"“read"the"future"from"the"features"of"the"face”"–"Pliny"N.H"
4
"Pliny"N.H/35.79W97"
5
"Gombrich"1976:"15W17"
6
"Quintilian"II:13.12"
7
"Pliny"N.H/35.79W97"
8
"Plutarch"Lives/13.1"
1"
"
Furthermore,"when"the"king"spoke"ignorantly"about"painting"Apelles"would"“politely"advise"him"to"
be"quiet”9,"demonstrating"his"influence"even"over"such"an"imposing"king.""
Rome&and&the&Renaissance&
As"well"as"being"admired"by"his"contemporaries,"Apelles’"
expertise"was"also"recognised"by"subsequent"societies."As"
we"can"see"from"the"largely"flattering"descriptions"of"
Apelles’"work"by"writers"such"as"Pliny,"the"Romans"
revered"him"as"one"of"the"best"artists"of"Classical"Greece,"
and"there"are"several"surviving"Pompeian"frescoes"alleged"
to"be"copies"of"his"works,"such"as"the"Venus/Anadyomene/
(Fig.1)"and"Alexander/with/Thunderbolt."Although"now"
lost,"many"of"his"paintings"were"exhibited"in"Rome,"and"
the"Emperor"Claudius"even"had"the"faces"of"Alexander"in"
portraits"replaced"by"Augustus’,"which"as"Bergmann" Fig.2"Botticelli’s"Calumny/of/Apelles;"Ufizzi"Gallery,"Florence"
suggests10,"illustrates"the"political"influence"of"Apelles’"
paintings"even"in"the"Roman"Empire.""
However"the"most"intense"appreciation"of"Apelles"took"place"during"the"Italian"Renaissance"due"to"
the"renewed"veneration"of"Classical"Antiquity,"which"Cast"suggests"caused"them"to"accept"Pliny’s"
account"of"Apelles’"brilliance"“…without"demur.”"11"Perhaps"one"of"the"most"renowned"of"these"
emulations"is"Botticelli’s"Calumny/of/Apelles"(Fig.2),"based"on"Lucian’s"description"of"Apelles’"original"
painting."This"painting,"depicting"an"allegory"of"Calumny"and"the"effects"of"envy,"was"said"by"Lucian"
to"have"been"inspired"after"a"false"accusation"of"conspiracy"from"a"jealous"rival"almost"led"to"Apelles’"
execution."However,"the"validity"of"this"account"is"questionable,"as"the"alleged"conspiracy"transpired"
in"220BC,"yet"Apelles"lived"long"before."Scholars"such"as"Toll,"Winckelmann"and"Swindler"have"thus"
suggested"that"the"painting"was"mistakenly"attributed"to"Apelles.12"
From"the"paintings"replicated"by"Roman"and"Renaissance"artists,"Apelles’"legacy"has"continued"on,"
and"we"are"able"even"now"to"detect"a"glimmer"of"his"exceptional"skill"that"the"ancients"described."
"
"
Bibliography&
&
Primary&
&
Lucian,"‘Calumniae/non/temere/credendum"4’"in"The/Art/of/Ancient/Greece,"edited"and"translated"by"
J.J."Politt."(Cambridge"UK,"1990)"
Pliny"the"Elder,"Natural/History/35,"in"The/Art/of/Greece,"edited"and"translated"by"J.J."Politt."
(Cambridge"UK,"1990)"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
9
"Pliny"N.H/35.79W97"
10
"Bergmann"1995:"90"
11
"Cast"1942:"9"
12
"Cast"1942:"11"footnotes"
2"
"
Plutarch,"Lives/XI,"translated"by"Bernadotte"Perrin"(London"1926)"
Quintilian,"Institutio/Oratoria/II,"translated"by"H.E"Butler"(USA"1920)"
Secondary&
B."Bergmann"(1995)‘Greek"Masterpieces"and"Roman"Recreative"Fictions’,/Harvard/Studies/in/Classical/
Philology/Vol./97,/Greece/in/Rome:/Influence,/Integration,/Resistance,/pp."79W120"
D."Cast"(1941)"The/Calumny/of/Apelles:/A/Study/in/the/Humanist/Tradition."New"Haven,"USA."
Ernst"H."Gombrich"(1976)"The/Heritage/of/Apelles:/Studies/in/the/Art/of/Renaissance/(New"York,"USA)"
p."3–18."
S."Lydakis"(1933)"Ancient/Greek/Painting/and/its/Echoes/in/Later/Art:"p.57W67,"157W171."California,"
USA."
J.J."Pollitt"(1990)"The/Art/of/Ancient/Greece:/Sources/and/Documents:"p.158W168."Cambridge,"UK.""
Useful&comments&on&my&introductory&blog&
1.)&
&
W In"Life/of/Alexander,"Plutarch"criticised"Apelles"for"making"Alexander"too"dark"and"tanned"in"
his"portrait"holding"a"thunderbolt","when"in"reality"he"was"pale"and"had"ruddy"skin."Does"this"
criticism"from"Plutarch"not"suggest"then"that"Apelles"was"not"as"technically"skilled"at"
representing"reality"as"the"other"ancient"sources"such"as"Pliny"claim?"
My&response:&
W Although"this"is"true,"I"would"suggest"that"Apelles’"representation"of"Alexander"as"darkerW
skinned"does"not"mean"that"he"was"an"incompetent"painter."Kaesser"(2004:"369)"instead"
argues"that"Apelles"aimed"to"not"only"create"an"accurate"representation"of"his"subject,"but"
also"to"create"a"pleasant"image"for"his"viewer."According"to"Pliny,"Apelles"used"his"black"
varnish"to"help"”give"sombreness"to"the"colours"which"were"too"bright.”."It"therefore"makes"
sense"that"he"would"have"prevented"his"portrait"of"Alexander"being"what"he"considered"too"
bright,"by"instead"portraying"Alexander"with"darker"skin,"which"he"considered"more"
artistically"appropriate"for"a"portrait."
2.)&
&
W Most"scholars,"such"as"Clarke"(2007)"and"Fuhrman"(1931),"believe"that"Philoxenos"of"Eretria"
is"the"ancient"artist"most"likely"to"have"created"the"original"painting"that"the"Alexander"
Mosaic"was"based"on."However,"Moreno"(2001)"in"his"book"‘Apelles:"the"Alexander"Mosaic’,"
makes"the"unusual"suggestion"that"in"actuality,"Apelles"may"have"been"the"creator"of"the"
original"painting."Although"of"course"there"is"no"way"to"verify"the"real"painter,"do"you"think"
this"is"at"all"likely?&
My&response:&
3"
"
W Although"a"controversial"claim,"I"concede"that"it"is"a"possible"one."Pliny"names"several"of"
Apelles’"paintings"that"feature"a"battle"theme,"such"as"‘Kleitos"with"his"horse"hastening"into"
battle’"and"‘Neoptolemos"fighting"the"Persians"on"horseback’,"both"men"alleged"to"be"
companions"of"Alexander."These"paintings,"coupled"with"our"knowledge"of"Apelles"and"
Alexander’s"close"relationship,"make"it"entirely"possible"that"Apelles"may"have"been"
commissioned"to"paint"the"flattering"portrait"of"Alexander"defeating"Darius"that"we"see"in"
the"copied"Alexander"Mosaic."I"would"further"suggest"that"even"if"Apelles"did"not"create"the"
original"painting"he"may"have"heavily"influenced"it."He"and"Philoxenos"were"likely"to"be"
working"around"the"same"time"during"the"age"of"Alexander,"and"Pliny"states"that"“His"
inventions"in"the"art"were"useful"to"others"as"well”,"suggesting"that"his"artistic"style"may"well"
have"inspired"his"peers.&
"
3.)&
W You"state"that"the"“most"intense"appreciation"of"Apelles"took"place"during"the"Italian"
Renaissance”."However,"at"the"time"of"the"Italian"Renaissance,"many"of"the"copies"of"
Apelles’"works"in"Pompeii"had"not"yet"been"excavated"and"discovered."Why"is"it"then,"would"
you"suggest,"that"Apelles"in"particular"became"the"subject"of"such"interest,"when"the"
pioneers"of"the"Renaissance"had"little"information"about"Apelles"and"no"visual"way"of"
appreciating"his"art?"
My&response:&
W I"would"suggest"that"the"lack"of"information"about"Apelles"and"his"art"was"precisely"the"
reason"for"the"Renaissance"artists’"adoration"of"him."Although"Pliny"and"Lucian"describe"
many"of"Apelles’"paintings,"a"great"portion"of"the"ApellesWinspired"Renaissance"paintings"
were"based"on"the"tale"of"Apelles"and"Campaspe’s"courtship,"in"which"the"artist"fell"in"love"
with"Alexander’s"mistress"while"painting"her"nude."Nicolas"Vleughels,"Giambattista"Tiepolo,"
and"Jodocus"A."Winghe"were"amongst"the"many"to"depict"this"story,"which"suggests"that"
they"were"more"interested,"as"Lydakis"states,"in"the"“afterWlife”"of"Apelles"and"the"myths"
surrounding"him,"rather"than"his"actual"art"and"life."The"lack"of"extant"art"and"the"
unsubstantiated"accounts"of"his"life"appears"to"have"caused"him"to"have"been"regarded"
almost"as"a"mythical,"shadowy"character,"thus"romanticising"him"and"increasing"their"
interest"in"him.""
"
My&Comments&on&peers’&blogs&
&
You"mention"that"according"to"Pliny,"Pausias"was"the"first"painter"to"employ"the"use"of"
foreshortening"in"his"painting"of"an"oxen"sacrifice."However,"you"later"state"that"this"scene"on"the"
Portico"Pompeii"was"not"the"first"example"of"foreshortening"in"ancient"Greek"painting,"and"this"
opinion"is"supported"by"many"scholars,"such"as"Eva"C."Keuls"in"Plato/and/Greek/Painting/(1978:63)."
Would"you"say"that"this"significant"discrepancy"in"Pliny’s"account"therefore"devalues"Pausias’"
4"
"
contribution"to"ancient"art"due"to"the"apparent"lack"of"validity"of"Pliny’s"writing,"particularly"given"
that"Pliny"is"one"of"the"few"sources"on"him?"
"
You"claim"that"Plutarch"discredits"Euphranor’s"painting"of"the"Battle"of"Mantinea"because"it"differs"
from"the"contemporary"evidence"offered"by"Xenephon,"and"that"Humble"(2008)"asserts"that"the"
battle"is"presented"in"separate"ways"through"different"media."Do"you"think"the"conflicting"ancient"
sources"is"perhaps"why"there"is"an"issue"of"historical"accuracy"concerning"the"depiction"of"the"battle"
in"Euphranor’s"painting"and"what"it"can"tell"us?""Can"the"location"of"the"painting"perhaps"give"any"
insight"into"its"depiction?"
&
Reflective&Statement&
My"research"into"the"art"and"life"of"Apelles"has"been"incredibly"informative."I"initially"did"not"
appreciate"the"political"implications"of"Ancient"Greek"paintings,"but"Apelles’"relationship"with"
Alexander"the"Great"suggests"strongly"that"this"was"a"significant"factor"in"Apelles’"subject"matter"and"
stylistic"choices"of"his"paintings."His"portraits"of"Alexander"such"as"Alexander/holding/a/thunderbolt"
and"perhaps,"as"Philippa"suggested,"the"Alexander"Mosaic,"imply"that"his"powerful"depiction"of"the"
king"was"based"primarily"on"their"affectionate"relationship."This"political"aspect"to"his"paintings"even"
continued"on"in"Rome,"when"Claudius"replaced"Alexander’s"faces"in"his"portraits"with"Augustus’."
"
I"am"now"also"able"to"recognise"that"the"Ancient"Greeks,"and"indeed"Romans"such"as"Pliny,"did"not"
judge"artistic"merit"solely"on"technical"ability."Apelles"himself"claimed"himself"to"be"superior"to"his"
peers,"despite"their"expertise"in"other"areas,"due"to"his"artistic"grace"(charis)."This"thus"demonstrates"
that"for"the"Ancient"Greeks,"the"ability"to"depict"beauty"in"painting"was"an"intrinsic,"undefinable"skill,"
that"Apelles"alone"believed"he"possessed."My"introductory"blog"of"Apelles"and"the"subsequent"
comments"have"taught"me"that"Ancient"Greek"painting"is"an"area"in"which"we"are"often"required"to"
read"between"the"lines"of"anecdotes"and"descriptions,"and"assess"the"validity"of"these"sources."
Furthermore,"I"have"come"to"appreciate"the"impact"that"Ancient"Greek"painters"such"as"Apelles"had"
on"later"cultures,"and"that"his"influence"can"be"seen"in"the"reproductions"that"he"inspired"."
&
5"
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