Pheidias

Dates of birth and death unknown. Ancient Greek sculptor. Believed to have been born in Athens between 500 and 490 BC. Active from 460 to 430 BC. Like Milon, the creator of "The Discus," he studied under the Argos sculptor Hagelidas (also known as Ageladas), and later produced many monumental statues of gods, including the bronze "Athena Promachus" and "Athena Lemnia," the gold and ivory "Athena Parthenos," and the "Seated Statue of Zeus" at Olympia, for which he was called the "maker of statues of the gods." His style was simple, clear, and yet showed a lofty spirituality, establishing the "sublime style" of the early classical period. However, very few of these works remain, with only the head of "Athena Lemnia" and a marble copy of "Athena Parthenos" remaining. In contrast, the great sculptures of the Parthenon in Athens, which were constructed under his overall direction, are precious originals that convey his style. Although they were collaborative works by many of the best sculptors of the time, they were completed under his conception and direct guidance, and are highly regarded as masterpieces of the classical period. In 1950, the remains of his workshop were discovered on the west side of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and a female cast of a piece of clothing from the "Seated Zeus" and a cup bearing his inscription were unearthed there.

[Masaaki Maeda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年未詳。古代ギリシアの彫刻家。紀元前500年から前490年ごろアテネに生まれたと思われる。活躍期は前460年から前430年ごろ。「円盤投げ」の作者ミロンと同様に、アルゴスの彫刻家ハゲライダス（アゲラダスともいう）に学び、のち青銅の「アテナ・プロマコス」「アテナ・レムニア」、黄金と象牙(ぞうげ)の「アテナ・パルテノス」、オリンピアの「ゼウス座像」など多くのモニュメンタルな神像を制作して、「神々の像の作者」とよばれた。彼の作風は単純、明晰(めいせき)、しかも高邁(こうまい)な精神性を示し、古典前期の「崇高様式」を確立した。しかし、これらの作品はほとんど残らず、わずかに「アテナ・レムニア」の頭部ならびに「アテナ・パルテノス」の大理石の模刻が残るにすぎない。これに対し、彼の総指揮のもとに造営されたアテネのパルテノンの大彫刻群は、彼の様式を伝える貴重な原作である。当代の優れた彫刻家による共同制作であるとはいえ、彼の構想と直接の指導によって完成されたもので、古典時代の傑作の誉れが高い。なお、1950年、オリンピアのゼウス神殿の西側で彼の工房跡が発見され、同地から「ゼウス座像」の衣片の雌型(めがた)や、彼の銘のある杯が出土した。

［前田正明］

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