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Afternoon all.Long time since I was last about. No wane in interest, just no time to indulge it.Quick question, one which has me vexed and is quite important for my current purposes. I recall an explicit mention of Alexander getting ticked off with Apelles' rendition of Bucephalus in a painting. Alexander believed it to be an inaccurate likeness of the horse. The two argued until Apelles had Bucephalas brought in and stood up beside the painting. This - apparently - resolved the issue in Apelles' favour.I know I have encountered this reference, but cannot for the life of me rediscover it. Furthermore, I am certain it was not in an art-history text - as one might suppose - but one of our sources. Your help and suggestions would be very welcome.Susan, many thanks for those Kataragama photos some time back. Very vivid and evocative. Sorry to have been so churlish in failing to respond.All best. Aengus

Hi AengusI remember a similar story somewhere (donGÇÖt remember where, sorry) but the protagonist was Philip rather than Alexander, and the picture was about Philip himself, not his horse (though the latter does take part in the story). GÇ£MyGÇ¥ story is as follows:A painter had painted a portrait of Philip (to be exhibited in a famous temple/ oracle/ athletic game? DonGÇÖt remember), but the likeness was GÇ£improvedGÇ¥ by making him look a bit younger and handsome, hiding his bad eye, etc. Philip was less than impressed, and said that people will not recognize the person in the picture as himself. The painter was understandably hurt in his pride.Anyway, for a reason I donGÇÖt remember, PhilipGÇÖs charger was around, and when it happened to notice the picture, it made friendly noises showing it did recognize his master there.The artist then added something along the lines of: GÇ£Sire, your horse seems to understand art better than yourselfGÇ¥.Now that I wrote it, I have a feeling that this story is in a biopic I may have read. Manfredi maybe? I cannot tell.Anyway, I am not saying this is the GÇ£correctGÇ¥ version, just that the two seem to be offshoots of the same story.Sorry that I wasnGÇÖt able to help with the source of the story. Hope you find it soon.Best,Alejandro

You're thinking of Aelian, VH 2.3 and Pliny, NH 35.95.Best wishes,Andrew

This story is in Green. While Alexander was being painted in Asia Minor. Again, don't have it in front of me, but it's quite a charmer. Alexander made Apelles repaint him because he didn't like the likeness. He eventually, paints Alexander holding thunderbolts in each hand. Hysterically, Alexander thought himself quite well versed in the arts and babbled relentlessly to some young artists, trying to control their laughter while painting him, about the finer points of portrait painting. Apelles finally asks the king to change the subject. Nicator

Thank you all.Nicator: Yes, I think Green sourced the thunderbolt painting from Curtius. Halicarnassus, I'd hazard. Apelles' assistants sniggering at Alexander is a well known - and cheerfully retold - anecdote amongst some of my painter friends.Alejandro: I haven't read Manfredi. But if he uses that, he's sourced it from Aelian - the ref that Taphoi makes below, actually. Unfortunately, although it has all the constituent elements, it's not the anecdote I'm after.Andrew, don't suppose you'd be good enough to forward that Pliny ref. Don't have Nat His on the shelf. Nor Varia Historia for that matter, but I recall the Apelles related snippets of Aelian well enough. This one would be the nag neighing in recognition of AlexanderGÇÖs likeness. Sadly, it doesn't quite conform with my - perhaps faulty - memory.Was in Piazza San Marco not so long ago, and overheard an American giving a thorough precis of your theory to his wife/girlfriend whilst sitting outside Florian's. Oddly enough, was reading the book myself at the time. One of life's little overlaps.Liked it very much, by the way. Utterly absorbing. Not often that someone comes up with completely new material in the Alexander field. Lane Fox still sceptical, is he? I was a bit surprised by that. Mind you, ever since he lashed his colours so enthusiastically to the Oliver Stone mast I've been scratching my head.

On the subject of new material: anyone have any information on whatGÇÖs happening with VascoGÇÖs Venetian text? This might be one for Susan.All best.

Hi Aengus,Nice to be talked about in the Piazza San Marco, I guess. Thanks for your kind words about my book. Here are your refs:Pliny NH 35.95
There is, or was, a Horse by [Apelles], painted in a competition, by which he carried his appeal for judgement from mankind to the dumb four-legged beasts; for perceiving that rivals were getting the better of him by intrigue, he had some horses brought and showed them their pictures one by one, and the horses neighed only at the horse of Apelles. This always happened subsequently, showing it to be a sound test of artistic skill.Aelian VH 2.3
Alexander looked at Apelles' portrait of him in Ephesus and did not give it the praise which its artistry deserved. when his horse was brought along it whinnied at the horse in the picture as if it too were real, and Apelles said, "O king, the horse certainly seems to have a much better taste in art than you do."Best wishes,Andrew

Aengus, if you need any in the future, Susan has all the Alexander-related excerpts from Pliny and Aelian on her site. (Pliny is under the heading 'Minor')http://www.alexander-sources.org/The Pliny translation might seem a bit stilted (although I'm rather fond of it myself) as we used an 1855 translation.Best regards,Amyntoros

Linda,Gotcha. Thanks for that. Very neat resource.

Aengus
I emailed you on your hotmail account. Let me know if you don't get it.Susan