Philoxenus of Eretria
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For other uses, see Philoxenus
Philoxenus of Eretria was a painter from Eretria
, the disciple of Nicomachus of Thebes
, whose speed in painting he imitated and even surpassed, having discovered some new and rapid methods of colouring Nevertheless, Pliny states that there was a picture of his which was inferior to none, of a battle of Alexander the Great with Darius, which he painted for king Cassander
. A similar subject is represented in the celebrated Alexander Mosaic
found in the House of the Faun
, Pompeii
. As the disciple of Nicomachus, who flourished about 360 BC, and as the painter of the battle of Issus (333 BC), Philoxenus must have flourished in the age of Alexander, about 330 BC and onwards. The words of Pliny, "Cassandro regi", "Cassander being king", if taken literally, would show that the date of his great picture must have been after 317 or 315 BC, for from one of those two years the reign of Cassander
in Macedon must be dated.
Philoxenus
Philoxenus or Philoxenos is the name of several prominent ancient Greeks:*Philoxenus of Cythera, an ancient Greek dithyrambic poet*Philoxenus of Leucas, a legendary glutton*King Philoxenus, an Indo-Greek king...
Philoxenus of Eretria was a painter from Eretria
Eretria
Erétria was a polis in Ancient Greece, located on the western coast of the island of Euboea, south of Chalcis, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow Euboean Gulf. Eretria was an important Greek polis in the 6th/5th century BC. However, it lost its importance already in antiquity...
, the disciple of Nicomachus of Thebes
Nicomachus of Thebes
Nicomachus of Thebes was an ancient Greek painter, a native of Thebes, and a contemporary of the great painters of the Classical period; his father and son were also painters...
, whose speed in painting he imitated and even surpassed, having discovered some new and rapid methods of colouring Nevertheless, Pliny states that there was a picture of his which was inferior to none, of a battle of Alexander the Great with Darius, which he painted for king Cassander
Cassander
Cassander , King of Macedonia , was a son of Antipater, and founder of the Antipatrid dynasty...
. A similar subject is represented in the celebrated Alexander Mosaic
Alexander Mosaic
The Alexander Mosaic, dating from circa 100 BC, is a famous Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. It depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia and measures 5.82 x 3.13m .-Battle:The mosaic illustrates a battle in which...
found in the House of the Faun
House of the Faun
The House of the Faun , built during the 2nd century BC, was one of the largest, and most impressive private residences in Pompeii, Italy, and housed many great pieces of art...
, Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
. As the disciple of Nicomachus, who flourished about 360 BC, and as the painter of the battle of Issus (333 BC), Philoxenus must have flourished in the age of Alexander, about 330 BC and onwards. The words of Pliny, "Cassandro regi", "Cassander being king", if taken literally, would show that the date of his great picture must have been after 317 or 315 BC, for from one of those two years the reign of Cassander
Cassander
Cassander , King of Macedonia , was a son of Antipater, and founder of the Antipatrid dynasty...
in Macedon must be dated.