This city, as we all know, has been the mother
and kindly nurse of many other arts, some of which
she was the first to discover and reveal, while to others
she gave added strength and honour and advancement;
not least of all,painting was enhanced and embellished
by her. For Apollodorus the painter, the first man
to discover the art of mixing colours and chiaroscuro,
was an Athenian. Upon his productions is inscribed:
It were easier that you blame than try to make the same.1
[p. 497]
Euphranor, Nicias, Asclepiodorus, and Panaenus, the
brother of Pheidias, some of them painted conquering
generals, others battles, and still others the heroes
of old. As, for example, Euphranor compared his
own Theseus with that of Parrhasius, saying that
Parrhasius's Theseus
2 had fed on roses, but his on
beef; for in truth Parrhasius's portrait has a certain
delicacy and subtlety in its execution, and it does
somewhat resemble Theseus ; but someone, on seeing
Euphranor's Theseus, exclaimed, not inaptly,
Race of the great-hearted hero Erechtheus, whom once
Athena
Nurtured, the daughter of Zeus.3
Euphranor has painted also, not without some
animation, the cavalry battle against Epameinondas
at Mantineia. The action came about in this way:
4
Epameinondas the Theban, after the battle of
Leuctra, was greatly elated, and conceived the desire
to trample upon the prostrate Sparta, and grind her
pride and self-esteem into the dust. And first he
attacked with an army of seventy thousand, pillaged
the Spartans' territory, and persuaded the Perioeci
to revolt from them. Then he challenged to battle
the forces that were drawn up in the vicinity of
Mantineia; but when they did not wish or even dare
to risk an engagement, but continued to await reinforcements from Athens, he broke camp by night
and, without being observed by anybody, descended
into Lacedaemon and almost succeeded, by a sudden
[p. 499]
attack, in capturing and occupying the city, which was
without defenders. But when the Spartan allies perceived this, and aid for the city quickly arrived, he retired as though he were again about totum to plundering and devastating the countryside. But when he
had thus deceived his enemies and quieted their
suspicions, he set forth by night from Laconia and,
rapidly traversing the intervening territory, appeared
to the Mantineans unexpectedly, while they also
were engaged in discussing the right moment for
sending aid to Sparta, and ordered the Thebans to
arm straightway for the attack. Accordingly the
Thebans, who took great pride in their skill at
arms, advanced to the attack and encircled the
city walls. There was consternation among the
Mantineans, and shouting and running hither and
thither, since they were unable to repulse this
assembled force which was bursting upon them like
a torrent, nor did any thought of possible succour
occur to their minds. At this crucial and fateful
moment the Athenians were descending from the
heights to the plain of Mantineia, with no knowledge
of this turn of fortune or of the keenness of the
struggle, but were proceeding leisurely on their
journey. However, when one of the Mantineans ran
out with report of the danger, although the Athenians
were few in comparison with the great numbers of
their enemy, and although they were weary from
their march, and none of their other allies was at
hand, nevertheless they straightway took their places
in battle-array with almost their whole number, while
the cavalry donned their armour and rode ahead of
[p. 501]
the rest, and under the very gates and the wall of
the eity engaged in a sharp cavalry encounter; the
Athenians prevailed and rescued Mantineia from the
clutches of Epameinondas.
This was the action which Euphranor depicted,
and in his portrayal of the battle one may see the
clash of conflict and the stout resistance abounding in
boldness and courage and spirit. But I do not think
you would award judgement to the painter in comparison with the general, nor would you bear with
those who prefer the picture to the trophy of victory,
or the imitation to the actuality.
