Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Apelles

Apelles Painting Campaspe is the Presence of Alexander the Great
- Jacques-Louis David [1748 - 1825]

Campaspe, the mistress of Alexander the Great, was painted by Apelles, who had the reputation in Antiquity of being the greatest of painters. Seeing the beauty of the nude portrait, Alexander saw that the artist appreciated Campaspe (and loved her) more than he. And so Alexander kept the portrait but presented Campaspe to Apelles. " ... the most generous gift of any patron and one which would remain the model for patronage and painters on through the Renaissance." More here.