English: Drawing of a fresco depicting Phrixus on the back of the golden ram by Henri Roux Ainé, 1870. Translated related text: 'This fresco decorated the interior portico of the edifice at Pompeii which is commonly called the Pantheon [now called the Macellum], and in which enlightened critics have seen a temple of Serapis.

'Phrixus and Hellé (1), fleeing the fury of Ino, placed themselves on the back of a ram with the golden fleece, and abandoned themselves with it to the waves of the Black Sea, in order to take refuge with Eetes, king of Colchis. During the trip, Helle perished in the sea which was given the name of Hellespont; Phrixus, having arrived safe and sound at Colchis, immolated to the god Mars the ram whose precious fleece was to be the object of the enterprise of the Argonauts. We can easily see the fact enveloped under the veil of this allegory: the art of exploiting and purifying gold, brought by the Greeks or Phrygians to a people who possessed virgin mines, mines which later aroused the covetousness of the Hellenes. , and which even had something to do with the motives of the Trojan War. For the navigation of the Black Sea is perhaps what has been designated by the name of Helen (to take the vessels). Be that as it may, the Pompeians, themselves enriched by maritime trade, took pleasure in repeating the adventure of Phrixus in the decoration of their residences.

In the painting which occupies us, the brother of Hellé is represented in an attitude full of grace and lightness: the wind, which inflates the yellow drapery of his coat, seems to lift him itself; and one is not surprised that his mount could carry him for such a long journey. Near him, two dolphins leap on the waves and seem to rejoice at his arrival at the end of the journey. But the shore on which the marvelous ram has already set foot is not rendered with the same talent as the figures, and its position offers singular faults of perspective: one could believe that all this landscape was added after the fact, and that the original intention of the artist was to represent man and animal floating on the surface of the waters. A so-called connoisseur, claiming to be a protector of the arts, strong in his money and his municipal authority, will have wanted us to see Colchis; and this Maecenas will have been obeyed. In the vignette, here is a lion pursuing two horses; then two other recumbent lions, a tree and two seats. We know that the emperors often gave chases of different animals in the circus. But the two seats certainly indicate a private place, such as a pleasure garden, where there are tame lions, such as those which the Indians employed in hunting (2), which the Persians had in their pleasure-houses. (3) , and whom Heliogabalus even admitted to his feasts."

Identifier: herculanumetpomp18703barr (find matches)
Title: Herculanum et Pompéi, recueil général des peintures, bronzes, mosaïques, etc., découverts jusqu'à ce jour, et reproduits d'apreès Le antichita di Ercolano, Il Museo borbonico, et tous les ouvrages analogues
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Barré, Louis, 1799-1857 Roux, H. (Henri), Sr Bouchet, Adolphe
Subjects: Art, Greco-Roman
Publisher: Paris, Firmin Didot frères, fils et cie
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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nt cetteposition des deux astres qui donna lieu à la fable. Le destin merveilleux des deux fds de Léda nous paraîtexprimé ici par la position de leurs lances, ambo hastilcgerunt (3) : lune, droite, représente la vie et peut-êtrelimmortalité ; dans ce dernier cas , elle indique Pollux :lautre, renversée, est lemblème de la mort, peut-êtremomentanée seulement. Nous avons déjà vu, dans untableau de Vénus et Adonis, des emblèmes qui se prêtentà une explication semblable (4). Tous deux portent la royale chlamyde de pourpre quicouvre la poitrine et le dos, chlamydem in humerls insi-dentem utrisque (5) ; tous deux sont chaussés délégantscothurnes, et coiffés du bonnet lacédémonien (6), semiovoïde (7), au-dessus duquel brille Une étoile; tous (1) Apollod., III, 21. (A) Voy. pi. 105. (2) Apollod., loc. citât.; Theocr., (o) Suid.. in Atoffxoupot.Idyll. in Diosc. (6) Lucian., Dipsad. (3) Stat., ThcbaïcL, V. 439. (7) Fost. Pomp. s. v. Pileum-. PEINTUREStt
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■ a DEUXIÈME SÉRIE. 47 deux enfin tiennent un cheval par la bride. Mais ils sontplacés en regard, dans deux directions opposées, ce quiindique, non moins clairement que la position des lances,leur rôle alternatif. On pourrait remarquer que le cheval ne convient pasaussi bien à Pollux lathlète, quà son frère Castor ledompteur de coursiers (i). Mais il faut se rappeler quede tous les Grecs les Spartiates étaient les plus adonnésà lexercice du cheval; il faut se rappeler aussi queJunon donna un coursier à chacun des deux jumeaux,ce qui fait supposer que celui même qui sarmait habi-tuellement du ceste ne dédaignait cependant point lexer-cice favori de son frère. Enfin, la coutume générale desstatuaires et des peintres de la Grèce a été de représenterainsi les deux Dioscures (2) ; et lon en voit un exempleremarquable sur lescalier du Capitole. Peut-être lesartistes ne consultaient-ils en cela que leurhythmie, lasymétrie. PLANCHE 116. Cette fresque décorait le por

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