SikyonHomeIndex
Pattern

 

Sculpture


Kanachos
Aristocles
Butades
Lysistratos
Kleon
Kantharos II
Patroklos
Daedalos
Daitondas
Alypos
Kantharos
Damokritos
Euthycrates
Boidas
Daippos
Xenocrates
Eutyxides

 

Kanachos or Canachus
6th century BC

Apollo

Late 6th century BC. Kanachos also Canachus or Canachos was born at Sikyon and was the first sculptor among the Greeks who introduced the making of enormous statues, whose example Polykleitos, Lysippos, Pheidias and others followed. He worked with bronze and a combination of gold and ivory. The Parthenos of Pheidias inside the Parthenon was made in the same style. Kanachos worked also with wood.
His masterpiece is said to be the colossal bronze statue of Apollo Philesios at Didyma in Miletus for the temple of Branchidae (around 520 BC), made of Aeginetan bronze, representing the god nude and holding a deer in his right hand and a bow and arrow in his left hand, according to Pliny.
The deer (a separate piece) was so balanced that if one pushed it, it rocked on his feet, so that a thread could be drawn under them. We can take an idea about this statue from small bronzes and ancient coins of that city. From these representations we see that he uses archaic style.
A bronze statuette of Apollo is in the British Museum.
He also created the Ismenian Apollo for the Thebans in cedar wood and the goddess Aphrodite in the Sikyonian shrine of her own. The goddess, which is seated, was made of gold and ivory, having on its head a polos, and carrying in one hand a poppy and in the other an apple.
His works are noticeable for the precision of detail and excellence of finish.
His brother Aristokles was also a sculptor.

 

 

Ermes with ramHermes
This bronze statuette, height 25 cm, was made at Sikyon around 530-520 BC.
It represents Hermes, as the god of flocks and herds, and we recognize him from his winged shoes and hat.
It is a masterful creation that has many similarities with Kanachos works. The god holds in his left hand a small ram and at his right the kerykeion, which is missing. 
Boston Museum of Fine Arts.


 

The Apollo, found at Pireaus, is similar to that of Apollo Philesios made by Kanachos.

 

Aristokles
6th century BC

Sikyonian sculptor, brother of Kanachos. Aristokles was the founder of a Sikyonian school in sculpture. From his works we know only one, that of a group of Three Muses, which he made them jointly with his brother Kanachos and the Argive Ageladas, the teacher of Polykleitos and Pheidia. Pausanias tell us, that he was almost equally famous as Kanachos.

 

Butades
early 6th century BC

Also called Dibutades, was a Sikyonian potter, who according to Pliny the Elder, invented the modeling figures in clay, from which sculpture in bronze originated.
The story goes that his daughter, being in love with a young boy at Corinth, traced upon the wall of her home, the outline of his shadow reflected on the wall by a lamp, and upon this outline her father modeled the face of the youth in clay and baked the model along with the clay tiles of his trade.
This model was preserved in Corinth until Mummios destroyed the town in 146 BC.
After this invention, Butades started to ornament the ends of roof tiles with human faces. He also invented a special mixture of red clay.

 

Lysistratos
4th century BC

Lysistratos of Sikyon, sculptor and brother of Lysippos, was the first man who made a preliminary cast by fitting plaster upon a human face.
He was seriously overshadowed by his brother, from his works we know that he made the statue of Melanippe.

 

Kleon
4th century BC

Kleon of Sikyon, sculptor was active at the beginning of the 4th century BC. From his many works, we have two of them dated with certainty, a bronze Aphrodite (388 BC) which stood in the Hereon at Olympia and at least two of the six figures set up in the ninety-eighth Olympiad (388 BC), statues which were made from fines imposed after the bribing (for first time) that occurred at Olympia. 
"Eupolos of Thessaly bribed the boxers who entered the competition, Agenor the Arcadian and Prytanis of Cyzicus, and with them also Phormio of Halicarnassus, who had won at the preceding Festival. This is said to have been the first time that an athlete violated the rules of the games, and the first to be fined by the Eleans were Eupolos and those who accepted bribes from Eupolos. Two of these images are the work of Kleon of Sikyon." (Pausanias in Olympia).
Kleon was a pupil of Antiphanes and according to Pausanias he made the victor statues of the boy boxers Alketos and Kritodamos of Kleitor.
He also made the statue of Deinolochos of Elis for whom Pausanias tell us: "The mother of Deinolochos had a dream, in which she thought that the son she clasped in her bosom had a crown on his head. For this reason Deinolochos was trained to compete in the games and outran the boys. The artist was Kleon of Sikyon".
He made also the statue of the pentathlete Hysmon of Elis holding jumping weights, the boy runner Lykinos of Heraia. He made also the statue of Agesipolis at Delpoi and many think that the Youth from Antikythera is a late work of his.
Pliny credits him with the creation of statues of philosophers.

 

Kanachos II
4th century BC

Sikyonian sculptor, pupil of Polykleitos. He made the statue of Biκelοs, who was the first Sikyonian to win the boy's boxing-match at Olympia.
He worked in partnership with Patroklos, in many works.
"Next to these come the Achaean Axionicus from Pellene, Theares of Hermion, Pyrrhias the Phocian, Comon of Megara, Agasimenes of Sikyon, Telycrates the Leucadian, Pythodotus of Corinth and Euantidas the Ambraciot; last come the Lacedaemonians Epicydidas and Eteonicus. These are works of Patroklos and Kanachos."
(Pausanias in Delphi)

 

Patroklos
4th century BC

Sikyonian sculptor, father of Daedalos. We don't have information about his works. From Pliny we learn that he created various types of statues, athletes, warriors, etc.  He worked in partnership with Kanachos II, in many works.
"Next to these come the Achaean Axionicus from Pellene, Theares of Hermion, Pyrrhias the Phocian, Comon of Megara, Agasimenes of Sikyon, Telycrates the Leucadian, Pythodotus of Corinth and Euantidas the Ambraciot; last come the Lacedaemonians Epicydidas and Eteonicus. These are works of Patroklos and Kanachos."
(Pausanias in Delphi)

 

Daedalos
flourished 400 - 365 BC

Sikyonian sculptor, pupil and son of Patroklos. We know the dates of some of his works with certainty. He made the statue (396 BC) of Eupolemos of Elis, who won the foot-race for men at Olympia and the statue of Aristodemos in 388 BC, son of Thrasis, a boxer from Elis.
Also in 369 BC he made the Nike and the Arcas, in the group the Arcadians had dedicated to Delphi, which it was depicting their national heroes, Apollo and Nike.
A youthful work of his was the trophy the Eleans dedicated to Olympia for their victory over Sparta(402 BC).
For his other works we have no dates. From Pausanias we know that he made the statues of Timon and his son Aesypos, who is represented as a child seated on a horse. In fact the boy won the horse-race, while Timon was the victor in the chariot-race.
The statue of Narycidas, son of Damaretos, a wrestler from Phigalia, was also made by Daedalos.
Fragmentary bases with his name ascribed on them have survived.

 

Daetondas
around 300 BC

Sculptor of Sikyon, who was active around 300 BC.
Pausanias inform us about his work, the victor statue of Theotimos and of two bases with his signature on them.

 

Alypos
3rd century BC

"On the right of the temple of Hera is the statue of a wrestler, Symmachus the son of Aeschylus. He was an Elean by birth. Beside him is Neolaidas, son of Proxenus, from Pheneus in Arcadia, who won a victory in the boys boxing-match. Next comes Archedamus, son of Xenius, another Elean by birth, who like Symmachus overthrew wrestlers in the contest for boys.
The statue of Euthymenes for his victory over the boys was made by Alypos.
The statues of the athletes mentioned above were made by Alypos of Sikyon, pupil of Naucydes of Argos." (Pausanias in Olympia)

 

Kantharos
3rd century BC

"Cratinus of Aegeira in Achaia was the most handsome man of his time and the most skilful wrestler, and when he won the wrestling-match for boys the Eleans allowed him to set up a statue of his trainer as well. The statue was made by Kantharos of Sikyon, whose father was Alexis, while his teacher was Eutychides, who was pupil of Lysippos.
Mingled with the less illustrious offerings we may see the statues of Alexinicus of Elis, the work of Kantharos of Sikyon, who won a victory in the boys' wrestling-match, and of Gorgias of Leontini. This statue was dedicated at Olympia by Eumolpus, as he himself says, the grandson of Deicrates who married the sister of Gorgias".
  (Pausanias)

 

Damokritos
3rd century BC

"The statue of Hippus of Elis, who won the boys' boxing-match, was made by Damokritos of Sikyon, of the school of Attic Critias, being removed from him by four generations of teachers. For Gritias himself taught Ptolichus of Corcyra, Amphion was the pupil of Ptolichus, and taught Pison of Calaureia, who was the teacher of Damokritos."   (Pausanias)

 

Euthykrates
3rd century BC

Sculptor, son of Lysippos. Pliny tell us that he used an austere style, otherwise he imitated his father. He is credited as the creator of a portrait of Trophonios at Lebadeia, as well as several portraits of women and a group of Thespiades. He ought to be one of the eldest sons of Lysippos, because from his known works a portrait of Alexander is included. 

 

Boidas
3rd century BC

Sculptor, son of Lysippos. We know nothing about Boidas, except his work of a bronze statue showing a praying boy (Berlin).

 

Daippos
3rd century BC

Sculptor, son of Lysippos. From his works we know two Olympic victor statues and a Perixyomenos. 

 

Xenokrates
3rd century BC

Sculptor and painter, pupil of Eythykrates (the son of Lysippos) or Teisikrates. He wrote books on both subjects. Pliny tell us that he was a prolific sculptor, though he does not mention any work of his. Some bases with this name have been found, one at Oropos, the work place of Teisikrates.

 

Eutychides
3rd century BC

Tyche Tyche (Fortune) of Antioch, capital of Seleucids, 300 BC.
Marble statuette reproduction of the original colossal in bronze made by Eutychides the Sikyonian, pupil of Lysippos. Tyche, who embodies the idea of the city, is seated on a rock. Under her feet is the river Orontes, which is represented as a swimming boy. In her hand holds stalks of grain (symbolizing prosperity) and on her head wears a mural crown, a standard attribute of later Tyche. The statue is also depicted in Syrian coins of Tigranes.

A very big head of Tyche was found also in Sikyon.
Other statues of Eutychides was the "Eurotas" river, a victor's statue at Olympia, and the "Liber Pater".
Eutuchides was also a painter. From his paintings we know only his "Nike driving a chariot". 



Up Back Next Top Home Index Search Email


Pattern

© 1998 Ellen Papakyriakou/Anagnostou. All rights reserved.