----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>------------------
>Does anyone know the name of an ancient Greek sculptor who tortured a child in
>order to research facial expressions? Thanks.
>
>*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
>-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
>* Barbara E. Reed * * * * * [log in to unmask] *
>- Art Librarian -
>* Dartmouth College phone 603-646-3831 *
>- 6033 Carpenter Hall -
>* Hanover NH 03755-3570 fax 603-646-1218 *
>-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
>*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Dear Barbara:
Thanks to Prof. Brunilde Ridgway of our faculty, I have a possible
answer to your query about the ancient Greek sculptor who tortured a child,
although it's not an exact correspondence. In Ernest Kris' and Otto
Kurz's "Legend, Myth, and Magic in the Image of the Artist," (New Haven and
London: Yale University Press, 1979) on p.118, there is the following
statement: "Parrhasios is reported to have bought an old man, one of the
Olynthian prisoners sold at auction by Philip of Macedon, and to have
tortured him to death. This story, which we owe to Seneca (10:34), makes
the artist, eager to study the effects of pain on the human face, into the
murderer of his model (Overbeck, no.1703)."
In the same work cited above, there are some additional references to
similar stories regarding other, later sculptors, but none involving
children.
I hope this helps.
Eileen Markson
Eileen Markson
Head, Rhys Carpenter Library
for Art, Archaeology, and Cities
Bryn Mawr College
101 N. Merion Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899
Phone: (610) 526-7910
FAX: (610) 526-7911
[log in to unmask]
