Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/265

Rh PHEIDIAS. Athena from the excessive dryness of the air of the Acropolis ; while, in the case of another of Pheidias's chryselephantine statues, the Aesculapius at Epidaurus, neither oil nor water was used, the proper degree of moisture being preserved by a Avell, over which the statue stood. The office of cleaning and preserving the statue was assigned to the descendants of Pheidias, who were called, from this office, Fhaednjntae {^aiSpvvrai, fr. (pai- dpvuw, fr. (paiSpos), and who, whenever they were about to perform their work, sacrificed to the goddess Athena Ergane. (Paus. v. 14. § 5.) As another honour to the memory of Pheidias, the building outside of the Altis, in which he made the parts of the statue, was preserved, and known by the name oi Pheidias^s workshop {ipyao*rripLot/ ^CLSiov). His name, also, as already stated, was inscribed at the feet of the statue. (Paus. v. 10. § 2). The idea which Pheidias essayed to embody in this, his greatest work, was that of the supreme deity of the Hellenic nation, no longer engaged in conflicts with the Titans and the Giants, but having laid aside his thunderbolt, and enthroned as a conqueror, in perfect majesty and repose, ruling with a nod the subject world, and more especially presiding, at the centre of Hellenic union, over those games which were the expression of that religious and political union, and giving his blessing to those victories which were the highest honour that a Greek could gain. It is related by Strabo (viii. p. 534, a ; comp. Val. Max. iii. 7. ext. 4), that when Pheidias was asked by Panaenus what model he meant to follow in mak- ing his statue, he replied, that of Homer, as ex- pressed in the following verses (Z?. i. 528 — 530). ''^H, Kol KvaverjCTLV en orppvai vevae KpoviccV 'AfxSpocnai S' apa xcu^ai iTreppcoaauTO avuKTOs, Kparos oltt ddavaToxo' fxijav 5' cAeAi^ej/ "OAvju.- TTOV. The imitation of which by Milton gives no small aid to the comprehension of the idea (Paradise Zos^, iii. 135—137): fill'd All heaven, and in the blessed spirits elect Sense of new joy ineffable diffused." Expression was given to this idea, not only by the whole proportions and configuration of the statue, but more especially by the shape and posi- tion of the head. The height and expansive arch of the forehead, the masses of hair gently falling forward, the largeness of the facial angle, which exceeded 90 degrees, the shape of the eyebrows, the perfect calmness and commanding majesty of the large and full-opened eyes, the expressive repose of all the features, and the slight forward inclination of the head, are the chief elements that go to make up that representation which, from the time of Pheidias downwards, has been regarded as the perfect ideal of supreme majesty and entire complacency of " the father of gods and men" impersonated in a human form. It is needless to cite all the passages which show that this statue was regarded as the master- piece, not only of Pheidias, but of the whole range of Grecian art ; and was looked upon not so much as a statue, but rather as if it were the actufil manifestation of the present deity. Such, accord- ing to Lucian {Imag. 14), was its effect on tlie PHEIDIAS. 253 beholders ; such Livy (xlv. 28 ; comp. Polyb. xxx. 15) declares to have been the emotion it excited in Aemilius Paulus ; while, according to Arrian {Diss. Epictet. i. 6), it was considered a calamity to die without having seen it. Pliny speaks of it as a work " quern nemo aemulatur.''* {H.N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. § 1; comp. Quintil. xii. 10. § 9.) There is also a celebrated epigram of Philip of Thessalonica, in the Greek Antliologj', to the effect that either the god must have de- scended from heaven to earth to display liis likeness, or that Pheidias must have ascended to heaven, to behold the god. (Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 225) : ^6i5ia, rj av 7' e&rjs tov ^eov oi^oixevos. Respecting the later liistory of the statue, see Cedrenus (p. 254, d.), Heyne {Prise. Art. 0pp. Constaniinop. ewsL in the Commeiit. Goiting. vol. xi. p. 9), and Fea {zu Winckelmann, Storia, vol. ii. pp. 416, 424). It was removed by the emperor Theodosius T. to Constantinople, Avhere it was destroyed by a fire in A. d. 475. Respecting the existing works of art in which the Jupiter of Pheidias is supposed to be imitated, see Bottiger, Andeuiu7igeii, pp. 104 — 106. The nearest imitations are probably those on the old Eleian coins, with the inscription FAAEIHN, (See Miiller Denkni'dler, vol. i. pi. xx. fig. 103). Of existing statues and busts, the nearest like- nesses are supposed to be the Jupiter Verospi, the colossal bust found at Otricoli, and preserved in the Museo Pio-Clemeiitino., and another in the Florentine Gallery. (See Miiller, Arch'dol. d. Kunst, § 349, and Denhndler, vol. ii. pi, 1.) 14. At Elis there was also a chryselephantine statue of Athena, which was said to be the work of Pheidias. It had a cock upon the helmet. (Paus. vi. 26. § 2.) 15. At Elis also, he made a chryselephantine statue of Aphrodite Urania, resting one foot upon a tortoise. (Paus. vi. 25. § 2 ; comp. Plut. Praecept. Conjug. p. 142, d., hid. ei Osir. p. 381, e.) 16. Of the statues which Pheidias made for other Greek states, one of the most famous appears to have been his chryselephantine statue of Aescu- lapius at Epidaurus, (Paus, v. 11. § 5 ; Athenag. Legat. pro Aristid. p. 61, ed. Dechair.) 17. At the entrance of the Ismenium, near Thebes, there stood two marble statues of Athena and Flermes, surnamed Tlpovaoi ; the latter was the work of Pheidias ; the former was ascribed to Scopas. (Paus. ix. 10. § 2.) 18. In the Olympieium at Megara was an un- finished chryselephantine statue of Zeus, the head only being of ivory and gold, and the rest of the statue of mud and gypsum. It was undertaken by Theocosmus, assisted by Pheidias, and was interrupted by the breaking out of the Peloponne- sian War. (Paus. i. 40. § 3.) Two interesting points are involved in this statement, if correct : the one, a confirmation respecting the age of Phei- dias, who is seen still actively employed up to the very close of his life ; the other, an indication of the materials which he employed, in this case, as the core of a chryselephantine statue. 19. Pliny (//. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19), tells a story, which is rather suspicious, respecting a contest between various celebrated statuaiies who, though
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