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Plutarch's Use and Mention of Famous Artists in the PARALLEL

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Plutarch's Use and Mention of Famous Artists in the PARALLEL PLUTARch’S USE AND MENTION OF faMOUS ARTISTS IN THE PARALLEL LIVES∗ Abstract: This article is concerned with Plutarch’s use of well-known artists (sculptors, painters and architects) in the Vitae Parallelae. Although the biographer expresses clearly his negative opinion of men who earn a living through (dirty) manual work, he cherishes the works they create — a kind of thinking which is not limited to Plutarch but can be found throughout ancient literature. An analysis of the Par- allel Lives shows that Plutarch mentions altogether twenty-five artists who can be dated between the beginning of the fifth and the end of the fourth century BC. He primarily names those who would have been familiar to his well-read, intellectual audience, namely artists who belonged to the ‘classical canon’ of art history like Phidias, Polycletus and Lysippus. The reasons for quoting notices about artists and their masterpieces are various but always adapted to the particular exami- nation object; for example, to illustrate the reasons for political deci- sions, to accentuate particular characteristics, or to expound the rise and fall of a politician. Also, although it is Plutarch’s main intention to point out ethical values by illustrating every facet of his character sketches and not discussing matters related to artists in detail, the Par- allel Lives nonetheless turn out to be a valuable source of art history. First of all, it must be stated that it was not Plutarch’s intention in the least to deal with matters related to artists when he wrote the Parallel Lives.1 His focus, understandably, was on the famous Greek and Roman statesmen he chose for his biographies and not on individuals who belonged to the sphere of art. As a member of the intellectual elite, he had access to specialist literature and was aware of the main items of art history, as well as the masterpieces of art and the men who made them.2 Although Plutarch appreciated outstanding works of art, a point of view he expressed in the Parallel Lives several times,3 he did not show the same respect to the creators: Labour with one’s own hands on lowly tasks gives witness, in the toil thus expended on useless things, to one’s own indifference to higher things. No generous youth, from seeing the Zeus at Pisa, or the Hera ∗ The present paper was delivered (in excerpts) at a ‘Conference on Plutarch’ (11- 12 September 2014), organized by ‘The School of History, Classics and Archaeology’, University of Edinburgh. 1 Cf. Weiler (2007) 21-39; Lorenz (2008) 729-736. 2 See Jones (1971) passim; Stadter (2002) 2-26. 3 Plut. Alex. 4.1; Demetr. 22.6; Per. 12.1; Comp. Per. et Fab. 3.7; Arat. 13.5-6. Ancient Society 45, 53-81. doi: 10.2143/AS.45.0.3110542 © 2015 by Ancient Society. All rights reserved. 98256.indb 53 9/11/15 14:35 54 M. LINDER at Argos, longs to be Pheidias or Polycleitus […] For it does not of necessity follow that, if the work delights you with its grace, the one who wrought it is worthy of your esteem.4 (Plut. Per. 2.1)5 This kind of appraisal — to honor the work but socially disregard the person who made it — appears somewhat schizoid to the modern observer, but Plutarch’s words just reflect (apart from a few exceptions) a majority opinion which was not limited to his period but can be found throughout ancient Greek and Roman literature.6 Regarding his negative attitude towards creators of art and the subject of his opus, one cannot consider the Parallel Lives to be an important source for any domain of art history. The fact that Plutarch conveyed information concerning art- ists, as well as their works and employers (sometimes quite explicitly), is in particular due to the necessity of using their stories for accentuating or illuminating special aspects of his character sketches — a statement which shall be verified hereunder. Plutarch mentions a total of twenty-five artists who acted as painters (eleven), sculptors (eight) or architects (six), as shown in the table below: No. Name Profession Date Citation(s) 1 Polygnotus of Thasos Painter around 450 BC Plut. Cim. 4.6-7 2 Phidias of Athens Sculptor ca. 470-430 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7; 31.2-5 3 Callicrates Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7 4 Ictinus Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7 5 Coroebus Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7 6 Metagenes of Athens Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7 7 Xenocles of Athens Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.6-7 8 Mnesicles Architect ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 13.12 9 Menon Sculptor ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 31.2-5 10 Polycleitus of Argos Sculptor ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Per. 2.1 11 Zeuxis of Heraclea Painter ca. 430-380 BC Plut. Per. 13.3-4 12 Parrhasius of Ephesus Painter ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Thes. 4 13 Silanion of Athens Sculptor ca. 350-300 BC Plut. Thes. 4 4 All translations quoted from B. Perrin, Plutarch’s Lives, 11 vols. (Cambridge/Mass. & London, 1959). 5 Cf. Plut. Per. 1.4; Thes. 4; Marc. 21.6-7. 6 For the social position of ancient artists see Austin & Vidal-Naquet (1973) 11, 243- 48; Weiler (1997) 149-154 (with full reference). 98256.indb 54 9/11/15 14:35 PLUTARch’S USE AND MENTION OF faMOUS ARTISTS 55 No. Name Profession Date Citation(s) 14 Agatharchus of Samos Painter ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Alc. 16.5; Per. 13.34 15 Aristophon of Thasos Painter ca. 450-400 BC Plut. Alc. 16.7-8 16 Androcydes of Cyzicus Painter around 400 BC Plut. Pel. 25.9-11 17 Cephisodotus of Athens Sculptor ca. 400-350 BC Plut. Phoc. 19.1 18 Pamphilos of Amphipolis Painter around 350 BC Plut. Arat. 12.6-13.6 19 Melanthus Painter around 350 BC Plut. Arat. 12.6-13.6 20 Nealces Painter ca. 250-200 BC Plut. Arat. 12.6-13.6 21 Apelles of Colophon Painter around 350 BC Plut. Alex. 4.1-3; Arat. 12.6-13.6 22 Lysippus of Sicyon Sculptor ca. 350-300 BC Plut. Alex. 4.1-3; 40.5 23 Leochares Sculptor ca. 350-300 BC Plut. Alex. 40.5 24 Sthenis of Olynthus Sculptor ca. 350-300 BC Plut. Luc. 23.3-4 25 Protogenes of Caunus Painter end of 4th Plut. Demetr. 22.3-4 century BC The bulk of the names are famous ones; there are only four persons who are only stated by Plutarch. The remaining are well documented in other literary sources and by epigraphical evidence. The artists who shall be discussed separately below (generally in chronological order (see table above) unless the thematic context within the Lives necessitates other- wise) can be dated between the first half of the fifth and the end of the fourth century BC. (1) Polygnotus (of Thasos)7 In the Life of Cimon, Plutarch describes the statesman’s family back- ground and early days, including information about his sister Elpinicé: While he was still a youth he was accused of improper intercourse with his sister. And indeed in other cases too they say that Elpinicé was not very decorous, but that she had improper relations also with Polygnotus the painter, and that it was for this reason that, in the Pei- sianacteum, as it was then called, but now the Painted Colonnade, when he was painting the Trojan women, he made the features of Laodicé a portrait of Elpinicé. Now Polygnotus was not a mere arti- san, and did not paint the stoa for a contract price, but gratis, out of zeal for the welfare of the city […] (Plut. Cim. 4.6-7) 7 Ethnicon and family background: Simon. fr. 9; Pl. Ion 532e; Grg. 448b; Lycurg. or. 6 fr. 7; Paus. 10.31.12; Dio Chrys. or. 55.1. 98256.indb 55 9/11/15 14:35 56 M. LINDER The painter Polygnotus is mentioned as the lover of Cimon’s sister — a point which accentuates Elpinicé’s immorality, since having an affair with an artist, even if he was famous and talented, must have been con- sidered an improper acquaintance because by ancient definition he was only a skilled craftsman.8 As the relationship had a direct effect on Polygnotus’ art, Plutarch reports some details about the Athenian charge he had to fulfill. According to this text, the Thasian painter created the pictures for the Stoa Poikile without requesting a fee, solely for the honor of Athens. The selection of information made by Plutarch is strik- ing. He reports that Polygnotus painted a scene from the myth of the Trojan War in which he immortalized Elpinicé, but there are no details about the illustration of the ‘Ilioupersis’, no word on the other pictures (‘The Battle of Oinoe’ and ‘The Battle of Marathon’) and a declaration that the fourth one (‘The Amazonomachy’) was made by his countryman Micon9 is missing too.10 Furthermore, if it was Plutarch’s intention to deal with Polygnotus’ reputation and skills, he could have referred to the works he produced for the Athenian sanctuary of the Dioscuri and the Propylaea, or the pictures he created at Plataea and Thespiae.11 How- ever, it was obviously not his aim to look into the matters related to the artist but rather to illustrate the unsound character of Elpinicé and how it might have influenced Cimon’s life.12 The reference to the ‘Painted Col- onnade’ corresponds with his intention to narrate every facing of Cimon’s background too, because the building in which Elpinicé’s depravity had become visual was officially founded by the husband of Cimon’s sister Isodicé, Peisianax, in the 460s BC.13 8 Phidias, for example, spoke about himself as dēmiourgos (Plut.
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