#hypereides

(Phryne before the jury - Jean-Léon Gérome)

This is one of my favourite artworks, simply because of its background.

The woman in this artwork is Phryne, who was not only a pretty famous Hetaira (educated female companion) but also the lover and model of the sculptor Praxiteles. His most famous work is probably Aphrodite of Knidos, where (as usual) Phryne stood as the model for it.

Here is where it gets dramatic: this was actually the first fully nude statue of Aphrodite in Greek art. Until then, goddesses were typically depicted as clothed or at least partially clothed. Praxiteles broke with that tradition, and the result was, well... mixed.

While the statue gained a lot of positive feedback, with people going so far as to travel to Knidos to see her and tales of men having to be physically removed because they were so captivated by her*, Phryne was met with disapproval.

As the model of the statue and probably other public behaviour, such as bathing nude in the sea during festivals, she was charged with ᾰ̓σέβειᾰ (impiety), a serious accusation in ancient Greece.

So there she stood, on trial in front of the Areopagus, facing possible execution. Her defender and friend, Hypereides (who was also rumored to be her lover), held a flaming speech in her defence, but it didn't seem to help.

And then came the moment that made her legendary. In a last act of desperation, Hypereides tore open her rope. His argument: No mortal woman could be so beautiful unless she was favored by the gods. Thus, condemning Phryne would be an insult to them. And so the charges were dismissed.

*"There is a story that a man once fell in love with it and hiding by night embraced it, and that a stain betrays this lustful act."