Page:Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 1.djvu/85

 ATitiphilus, a painter of reputation, though greatly inferior to Apelles, who was then at tlie court of Ptolemy, accused him of having been implicated in the conspiracy of Theodotus, governor of Phoenicia, affirming that he had seen Apelles at dinner with Theodotus, and that, by the advice of that painter, the city of Tyre had revolted, and Pelusium had been taken. The accusation was totally groundless, Apelles never having been at Tyre, and having no acquaintance with Theodotus. Ptolemy, however, in the height of his resentment, without examining into the affair, concluded him guilty, and would have punished him with death, had not an accomplice of the conspirators declared his innocence, and proved that the accusation originated in the jealousy and malevolence of Antiphilus. Stung with confusion at having listened to so infamous a slander, Ptolemy restored Apelles to his favour, presented him with a hundred talents, to con)pen- eate for the injury he had sustained, and con- demned Antiphilus to be his slave.

On his return to Greece, as a memorial of the persecution, and to avenge himself of his enemies, Apelles painted an allegorical picture representing ' Calumny,' in which he seems to Iiave exerted all nis inventive faculties. Of this ingenious compo- sition, Lucian has furnished us with the following description : " On the right of the picture was seated a person of magisterial authority, to whom the painter has given large ears, like those of Midas, who held forth his hand to Calumny, as if inviting her to approach. He is attended by Ignorance and Suspicion, who are placed by his side. Calumny advanced in the form of a beautiful female, her countenance and demeanour exhibiting an air of fury and hatred. In one hand she held the Torch of Discord, and with the other dragged by the hair a youth, personifying Innocence, who, with eyes raised to heaven, seemed to implore the succour of the gods. She was preceded by Envy, a figure with a pallid visage and an emaciated form, who appeared to be the leader of the band. Calumny was also attended by two other figures, who seemed to excite and animate ner, whose deceitful looks discovered them to be Intrigue and Treachery. At last followed Repentance, clothed in black, and covered with con- fusion, at the discovery of Truth in the distance, environed with celestial light." Such was the ingenious fiction which indicated the vengeance of Apelles, and which may be regarded as one of the most admirable examples of emblematical painting that the history of the art affords. Raphael made a drawing from Lucian's description of this picture ; it is now in the Louvre. It was customary with Apelles to exhibit his pictures publicly, not for the purpose of being flattered with the incense of applause, but with an intention of profiting by whatever just criticism might be made on the work. That the public might feel themselves at liberty to express their Bentiments freely, he usually concealed himself behind a panel, that his presence might not be a restraint on the expression of their judgment. On one of these occasions, a cobbler found fault with some incorrectness in the representation of a slipper, and Apelles, convinced of the judicious observation of the artisan, made the necessary alteration. The picture being again offered to public view in its improved state, the cobbler, proud of the success of his first criticism, ventured to find fault with the leg, when Apelles, discovering himself, addressed to him the well-known sentence which has since become proverbial, A'e supra crepidam suior. The modesty of this great painter was not less worthy of admiration than his extraordinary talents. Far from being jealous of his contemporaries, he not only extolled their merit, but, favoured as he was by fortune, made use of his wealth in promoting the interest of his rivals. His generous conduct to Protogenes is generally known, and is more particularly noticed in the account of that painter. Apelles wrote a work on painting, which has unfortunately been lost.

APENS, C, a Dutch engraver, who worked at Groningen in the second half of the 17th century. He engraved the portraits of Samuel Maresius, D.D., and other persons.

APOLLODORUS, a Greek painter, was a native of Athens, and flourished about B.C. 408. He was the first who succeeded in the blending of tones, and in the distribution of light and shadow, and may be called the inventor of chiaroscuro. Among his works is mentioned a picture of ' Ajax struck by Lightning,' which was formerly at Pergamus.

APOLLONIO, GlACOMO, was born at Bassano in 1582 or 1584. He was the grandson of Jacopo da Ponte, and received instruction in art from his uncles Girolamo and Giambattista da Ponte. His style is precisely that of his instructors, and his works are only distinguished from theirs by a less vigorous tone and a less animated touch. In the cathedral at Bassano is a 'Magdalene' by this master ; and a picture of ' Christ on the Cross, adored by St. Bonaventura,' signed and dated 1611, is in the church of the Padri Riformati ; but his most esteemed work is the ' Martyrdom of St. Sebastian,' in the church dedicated to that saint. He died in 1654, and was buried in San Francesco, in Bassano.

APONTE, Pedro de, (or Ponte), who was born at Saragossa in the beginning of the 15th century, was painter to John II. of Aragon. Ferdinaiid V. took him to Castile, and appointed him ' pintor de camera ' in 1479. He is said to have studied in Italy under Luoa Signorelli and Ghirlandaio. He may be considered one of the founders of the school of Aragon. He painted an altar-piece in the parish church of San Lorenzo at Huesca.

APOSTOOL, CORNLLIS, a Dutch amateur painter, and engraver in aquatint, was born at Amsterdam in 1762. He visited England, but returned home in 1796, and was in 1808 appointed director of the Amsterdam Museum, which office he held until his death in 1844. He engraved a portrait of Lavinia Fenton, afterwards Duchess of Bolton, after Ho- garth, as well as landscapes for the ' Beauties of the Dutch School,' ' Select Views in the South of France,' ' Travels through the Maritime Alps,' and Daniell's 'Views of Hindostan.'

APPEL, Jakob, was bom at Amsterdam in 1680. After passing some time under Timotheus de Graaf, he was instructed in landscape painting by David van der Plaas. According to Descamps, he at first imitated the works of Tempesta, but changed his manner, and adopted that of Albert Meijeringh. His landscapes are not without merit ; but he was more successful in his portraits. He died in 1751 at Amsterdam.

APPELIUS, Jean, who was born, it is said, in Switzerland, flourished at Middelburg in the second half of the 18th century as a painter of portraits,