Pausias () was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

painter of the first half of the 4th century BCE, of the school of

Sicyon Sicyon (; ; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyōn was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. The ruins lie just west of th ...

Biography

Pausias introduced the custom of painting ceilings of houses. His great merit appears to have lain in the better rendering of foreshortening. The words in which Pliny describes a bull painted by him should be quoted: Godfried Guffens - Pausias and Glycera

Pausias is thought to have invented the

encaustic painting Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other mate ...

method. He was proud of being able to finish a picture in just 24 hours. His most famous work was of a bull called ''A Sacrifice'' improved by his son Aristolaos. The Porticus Pompei at Rome contained this large painting by Pausias. In Pausanias' ''Description of Greece'' some wall paintings by Pausias are mentioned. In the Tholos at Epidaurus, there was a painting of Eros laying down his bow and arrow to pick up his lyre. There was also a painting portraying the allegorical figure of Drunkenness as a woman, drinking wine from a crystal goblet with her face showing through the goblet. Pausias painted a portrait of Glycera, a flower girl of his native city, with whom he had fallen in love as a young man. He tried in his portrait to imitate the flowers, which she used to make the garlands that she sold. The effort turned him into a very able flower painter. His picture of Glycera with a garland was known in

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

's time as the ''Stephaneplocos'' (garland-weaver) or ''Stephanepolis'' (garland-seller). A copy of this picture (apogra-phon) was bought by

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Ancient Romans, Roman List of Roman generals, general and Politician, statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and ...

at the

Dionysia The Dionysia (; Greek: Διονύσια) was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were processions and sacrifices in honor of Dionysus, the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies an ...

at Athens for a large sum.

Notes

References

* ;Attribution * Ancient Greek painters Ancient Sicyonians 4th-century BC painters {{Greece-painter-stub