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Downloaded from Brill.Com09/26/2021 12:20:17AM Via Free Access Appendix 2 Disquisition on the Art of the Ancients Appendix 2 Uytbreyding over de schilderkonst der ouden Original Text Vroegste ontwikkelingen1 31 Indien wy de geheele Historie der Schilderkunst wilden ophaalen, dienden wy op te klimmen tot aan Adam, en al geduuriglijk neerwaards te loopen zoeken door de gan- sche Oudheyt: doch by gebrek van Wegwyzers zal men de Reys van een bekender plaats 32 voortzetten, en die plaats oordeelen wy Griekenlant te zijn, | of schoon er veel schijn is om te vermoeden dat de Egyptenaaren die Konst, gelijk als meer andere Konsten en Wetenschappen, vroeger hebben bezêten als de Grieken. Het is ons ongeraaden dat landverschil te beslissen door een beslechtent vonnis, te meer daar dat verschil maar is gesticht op ses duyzent jaaren, die Egypten voorgeeft ouder te zijn in de vinding der Schilderkonst; een getal maklijk te noemen, doch moeijelijk te bewyzen. Het is zeker dat de Nyldrinkers de aldereerste uytvinders zijn geweest van de Starrenkunde, in dien niet van de Schilderkonst, ook was hun Koning Belus den verzinner van het stokken- gevecht, een Krygsoefening waar in de Britten uytmunten, en eenige andere Natien, gelijk als zy noch dagelijks met bebloede koppen komen te bewijzen. De meeste groo- te Grieksche Wysgeeren trokken wel na Egypten, doch zo het ons voorkomt, min om te schilderen, dan om te studeeren, gelyk als wy konnen bewaarheyden met Thales, Pythagoras, Demokritus, Plato, en meer andere Filosoofen; of er nu eenige Schilders of Konstenaaren onder dien troep zich bevonden, konnen wy niet beëedigen. Altoos wy weeten, of ten minsten wy gelooven, dat de Schilderkonst zich eerst heeft neergezet te Korinthen, of te Sicyone, op wiens puynhoopen de Turken een steedje hebben gesticht genaamt Vasilica. Daar is wederom een verschil tusschen die twee Steden over den Voorrang, dewijl er op eene tijd uytneemende braave Schilders waaren in die beyde steden, gelijk als Cleanthus te Korinthen, en Telephanes te Sicyone; doch de Konst ley toen noch maar in de wieg, dewijl die Schilders zich vergenoegden om de omtrekken te tekenen met eene koleur, en die van binnen te schaduwen. 33 Doch alhier past het ons den Leezer te | waarschouwen, dat de Grieken die zich zo zeer beroemen over hun Naauwkeurigheyt in allerhande soorten van zaaken, niet 1 The division of the Uytbreyding in chapters was made by the present author. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2020 | doi:10.1163/9789004421875_011 Lyckle de Vries - 9789004421875 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 12:20:17AM via free access Appendix 2 Disquisition on the Art of the Ancients Translation Early developments1 If we want to recount the complete history of the art of painting, we would have to 31 climb up to Adam, thence steadily descending to rummage the whole of antiquity. However, for want of signposts, we will start out on our journey from a better known place, which, in my opinion, is Greece, | although there are many indications that the 32 Egyptians knew this art, as well as a number of other arts and sciences, before the Greeks mastered it. We would be ill-advised to pronounce a final judgement in this conflict between two countries, certainly because the dispute is about a mere six thou- sand years. Egypt claims to have invented the art of painting this much earlier, but that number is easier to pronounce than to prove.2 We know for sure that the drinkers of Nile water were the first to invent astronomy, if not the art of painting. Their king Belus introduced fighting with sticks,3 a method of warfare in which the British and some other nations excel, as their blood-stained heads demonstrate until the present day. Most great Greek philosophers went to Egypt, but we assume they did so for their studies, not to practice painting. Thales, Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato and others are there to prove us right, but if there were any painters or artists among them we cannot ascertain. Leaving this aside, we know, or at least we assume, that the art of painting first took root in Corinth or in Sicyon; the Turks founded a small town on Sicyon’s ruins by the name of Vasilica. There is a dispute between both cities about the precedence, because both had commendable painters at the same time: Cleanthes in Corinth,4 for instance, and Telephanes in Sicyon. In their time, however, art was still in her infancy, since those painters were satisfied with drawing outlines, shading them on the inside with one colour.5 | Our readers should be on their guard, however, because the Greeks, who 33 boast their precision in all kinds of matters, disagree on the period in which the art of painting originated and when their first painters earned their fame. The Greeks make 1 The division of the Disquisition in chapters was made by the present author. 2 Pliny 16 mentions Philocles the Egyptian as the possible inventor of line drawing. 3 In Greek mythology Belus, son of Poseidon was one of Egypt’s early kings; Pliny does not mention him. 4 Pliny 16: Aridices the Corinthian. 5 Pliny 16: Ecphantus, the Corinthian, was the first to employ colour upon these pictures. Lyckle de Vries - 9789004421875 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 12:20:17AM via free access 194 Appendix 2 overeenkomen onder malkanderen wegens den tijd die men moet toeschryven aan den oorsprong der Schilderkonst, en aan den grooten naam hunner eerste Schilders. De Grieken maaken geen gewag van hun Schilders, dan veele (a) Olympiaden na hun Beeldhouwers en Plaatsnyders, dat is te zeggen stiptelijk in de Negentigste Olympiade; en ondertusschen verzekeren zy ons dat Phidias, die een ieder weet gebloeit te hebben in de zeven en tachentigste Olympiade, een Schilder was voor dat hy een Beeldhouwer wiert, en te Athenen heeft gekonterfijt den vermaarden Pericles, bygenaamt den Olympische, wegens de Majesteyt en den Donder van zijn Welsprekendheyt. Voegt er by dat Panenus, den Broeder van Phidias, heeft gebloeit in de drie en zeventigste Olympiade, en zelve het binnenste schilderde van Minervas Schild, zijnde dat schild het onsterflijk werk vab Colotês, een Discipel van Phidias, en zijn Medehulper in het Gebouw van den Olympische Jupiter. Dat alles toont dat er Schilders waaren voor de negentigste Olympiade. Maar hier zal iets fraais voor ’t licht komen. Dat is dat de gant- sche Weerelt weet dat er een oude Schildery van den Schilder Bularchus is geweest, waar op in het kleyn den strijd, of liever den nederlaag der Magneten stont verbeelt, welk tafereel tegens de zwaarte van Goud wiert opgewoogen, gekogt, en betaalt, by (b) Candaules den Koning van Lydien, anders genaamt Myrsiles, den laatste van het geslagt der Hera- (a) Een Olympiade vervat Vier jaaren. (b) Den zelve die zijne naakte Koningin vertoonde aan Gyges, waar voor hy behoorlijk wiert gestraft, eerst gehoornt, en toen vermoort. 34 | cliden; tot dien Eerentop was de Schilderkonst reeds gestêgen in die Eeuw. Nu wiert dat stuk waarschijnlijk geschildert ten tijde van Romulus, dewijl Candaules stierf in de Achtiende Olympiade, of zo ik my niet vergrijp, in dat zelve jaar toen Romulus he- melde, als wanneer de Schilderkonst reeds in Italien en elders tot een aanzienlijken trap van volmaaktheyt was opgeklommen. En zo dat waar is, gelijk als daar aan niet kan getwyfelt worden, dan moet men bekennen dat die Konst veel ouder is, als men gemeenlijk die zegt te zijn, en dat die geenen onder de meest afgezonderste Schilders, waar van wy eenige kondschap hebben, zonder dat wy er eenig tijdmerk van konnen aanwyzen, dewelke met een kleur hebben gepenseelt, gedoopt Menochromates, de Voorzaaten waaren van Bularchus, en van alle de Grieksche Schilders. Wy verstaan door die oude Schilders, of zo je wilt, door die eerste Tèkenaars, Hygiemon, Dinias, en Charmades, en onder anderen Eumarus den Athener, die aldereerst de kunnens dorst onderscheyden, en alderhande soorten van Figuuren nabootsen. Voegt er by (a) Cimon van Cleonea, die de denkbeelden des eersten volgde, en die de Konst nog verder uyt- breyde. Want hy was die Cimon die voor alle andere Schilders de tronien van de eene zy, en in ’t gemeen alle andere voorwerpen die zich schuyns vertoonen, behoorlijk wist te verbeelden, en bedacht was om aldereerst zijn Figuuren en zwieren des Hoofds op onderscheyde wyzen te veranderen, die opwaards of neerwaards, of zylings of van Lyckle de Vries - 9789004421875 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 12:20:17AM via free access Disquisition on the Art of the Ancients 195 no mention of their painters before the ninetieth Olympiad exactly, many Olympiads (a) later than their sculptors and printmakers.6 At the same time, they assure us that Phidias was a painter before he became a sculptor, everybody knowing that he flour- ished in Athens in the eighty seventh Olympiad. Then he painted the portrait of the famous Pericles, surnamed the Olympian on account of the impressiveness and thun- der of his eloquence.7 Moreover, Phidias’ brother Panaenus flourished in the seventy third Olympiad and he painted the inside of the shield of Minerva, an unforgettable work by Colotes, a pupil and assistant of Phidias, when the last worked in the build- ing of the Olympian Jupiter.8 The above proves that Greece had painters before the ninetieth Olympiad. But now we will present you with something special. It is generally known that there once was an old small-scale painting by Bularchus, depicting the battle or rath- er the Defeat of the Magnetes. This work was bought and paid for with the painting’s weight in gold by Candaules alias Myrsilus, (b) king of Lydia, last scion of the lineage of the Heraclids; (a) An Olympiad comprises four years. (b) The same king who exposed his naked queen to Gyges.
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