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SCOPAS

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Originally appearing in Volume V24, Page 408 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SCOPAS , probably of Parian origin, the son of See also:

Aristander, a See also:great See also:Greek sculptor of the 4th See also:century B.C. Although classed as an Athenian, and similar in tendency to See also:Praxiteles, he was really a See also:cosmopolitan artist, working largely in See also:Asia and See also:Peloponnesus. The extant See also:works with which he is associated are the See also:Mausoleum of See also:Halicarnassus, and the See also:temple of See also:Athena Alea at See also:Tegea. In the See also:case of the Mausoleum, though no doubt the See also:sculpture generally belongs to his school, we are unable to single out any See also:special See also:part of it as his own. But we have See also:good See also:reason to think that the pedimental figures from Tegea, some of which are at See also:Athens, while some are kept in the See also:local museum, are Scopas' own See also:work. The subjects of the pedimental compositions were the See also:hunting of the Calydonian See also:boar and the See also:battle between See also:Achilles and Telephus. Four heads remain, that of See also:Hercules, that of See also:Atalanta and two of warriors: also part of the See also:body of Atalanta and the See also:head of the boar. Unfortunately all these are in very poor preservation; but it is allowed that they are our best See also:evidence for the See also:style of Scopas. The head of a helmeted See also:warrior (see GREEK See also:ART, See also:Plate III. fig. 63) is especially valuable to us. It is very powerful, with massive bony framework; the fore-head is projecting, the eyes deep-set and heavily shaded, the mouth slightly open and full of See also:passion. It shows us that while in See also:general style Scopas approached Praxiteles, he differed from him in preferring strong expression and vigorous See also:action to repose and sentiment.

The temple at Tegea was erected after 395 B.C.; and the advanced See also:

character of the sculpture seems to indicate a date at least twenty years later than this. Attempts have been made, through comparison of these heads, to assign to Scopas many sculptures now in museums, heads of Heracles, See also:Hermes, See also:Aphrodite, See also:Meleager and others. It is, however, very risky thus to attribute works executed in See also:Roman times, and often thoroughly eclectic in character. See also:Ancient writers give us a good See also:deal of See also:information as to works of Scopas. He made for the See also:people of See also:Elis a See also:bronze Aphrodite, See also:riding on a See also:goat (copied on the coins of Elis); a Maenad at Athens, See also:running with head thrown back, and a torn kid in her hands was ascribed to him; of this Dr Treu has published a probable copy in the Aibertinum at See also:Dresden (Melanges See also:Perrot, p. 317). Another type of his was See also:Apollo as See also:leader of the See also:Muses, singing to the See also:lyre. The most elaborate of his works was a great See also:group representing Achilles being conveyed over the See also:sea to the See also:island of Leuce by his See also:mother See also:Thetis, accompanied by Nereids riding on dolphins and sea-horses, Tritons and other beings of the sea, " a group," says See also:Pliny (36. 25), "which would have been remarkable had it been the See also:sole work of his See also:life." He made also an Aphrodite which rivalled the creation of Praxiteles, a group of winged love-gods whom he distinguished by naming them Love, Longing and See also:Desire, and many other works. Jointly with his contemporaries Praxiteles and See also:Lysippus, Scopas may be considered as having completely changed the character of Greek sculpture. It was they who initiated the lines of development which culminated in the See also:schools of See also:Pergamum, See also:Rhodes and other great cities of later See also:Greece. In most of the See also:modern museums of ancient art their See also:influence may be seen in three-fourths of the works exhibited.

At the See also:

Renaissance it was especially their influence which dominated See also:Italian See also:painting and through it modern art. (P.

End of Article: SCOPAS

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