But why should I attempt to depict and describe in detail, and feature by feature, the beauty of the peerless Dulcinea, the burden being one worthy of other shoulders than mine, an enterprise wherein the pencils of
Parrhasius, Timantes, and Apelles, and the graver of Lysippus ought to be employed, to paint it in pictures and carve it in marble and bronze, and Ciceronian and Demosthenian eloquence to sound its praises?
His rival,
Parrhasius of Ephesus challenged him to a contest and invited Zeuxis to accompany him to his studio to see his painting, which was hanging behind a tattered curtain.
Confident of his success, Zeuxis asked
Parrhasius to draw back the curtain covering his work, only to realise that the curtain itself was the painting and that
Parrhasius had won the competition.
Immature stages of
Parrhasius polibetes (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): host plants, tending ants, natural enemies, and morphology.
In one of the most famous artist legends, mentioned in the Naturalis Historic by Pliny the Elder, Zeuxis succeeded in misleading the birds with his painted grapes but he himself was misled by
Parrhasius, who painted a curtain that his rival took to be real.
Today, on the wall of Duncan's architectural office and studio is a drawing by his own hand entitled
Parrhasius and Socrates Discussing the Skill of Drawing (2008) (Fig.
In the mythic competition between Zeuxis and
Parrhasius, Zeuxis' illusionistic painting of grapes that tempted passing birds is found wanting in comparison to
Parrhasius' painting with a curtain, which Zeuxis discovered, on reaching to draw back the curtain, was in fact a complete illusion.
Birds pecked at Zeuxis's painted bunch of grapes, convincing him he was the winner, but when he asked to have the curtain covering
Parrhasius's picture removed and discovered that the curtain was the painting, he conceded the prize; Zeuxis had deceived nature but
Parrhasius deceived the trained eye of a fellow artist.
Have students research Zeuxis independently, and then write the story about the famous contest he had with
Parrhasius.
When Alexander had commanded none should paint him but Appelles, none should carve him but Lysippus, none engrave him but Pirgotales,
Parrhasius framed a Table squared everye way twoo hundred foote, which in the borders he trimmed with fresh colours, and limmed with fine golde, leaving all the other roume with-out knotte or lyne, which table he presented to Alexander who no less mervailing at the bignes, than at the barenes, demaunded to what ende he gave him a frame without a face, being so naked, and with-out fashion being so great.
As evidence, he cited a famous comparison of two Theseuses, Hercules' purported friend: a rose-fed Theseus painted by
Parrhasius and a beef-eater painted by Euphranor.
1 & 2),
Parrhasius and Zeuxis, Renaissance artists and theorists spurred each other on to new heights.
