Apelles Making a Portrait of Pancaspe (1700-1704). Sebastiano Ricci (Italian, 1659-1734). Oil on can
Apelles Making a Portrait of Pancaspe (1700-1704). Sebastiano Ricci (Italian, 1659-1734). Oil on canvas.Campaspe, or Pancaspe, was a supposed mistress of Alexander the Great. According to tradition, she was painted by Apelles, who had the reputation in Antiquity for being the greatest of painters. The episode occasioned an apocryphal exchange that was reported in Pliny’s Natural History: “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.” -- source link
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