11 facts about Pausias

Pausias (Greek: Παυσίας) was an ancient Greek painter of the first half of the 4th century BCE, of the scholastic of Sicyon.

Pausias introduced the custom of painting ceilings of houses. His good merit appears to have lain in the greater than before rendering of foreshortening. The words in which Pliny describes a bull painted by him should be quoted:

Pausias is thought to have invented the encaustic painting method. He was snobbish of being adept to finish a portray in just 24 hours. His most well-known 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 the length of his bow and arrow to pick up his lyre. There was furthermore a painting portraying the allegorical figure of Drunkenness as a woman, drinking wine from a crystal goblet behind her slant showing through the goblet.

Pausias painted a portrait of Glycera, a flowergirl of his native city, with whom he had fallen in adore as a pubescent man. He tried in his portrait to have emotional impact the flowers, which she used to make the garlands that she sold. The effort turned him into a utterly able flower painter. His portray of Glycera like a garland was known in Pliny the Elder’s get older as the Stephaneplocos (garland-weaver) or Stephanepolis (garland-seller). A copy of this picture (apogra-phon) was bought by Lucullus at the Dionysia at Athens for a large sum.