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Aglaophon

600 BC – 500 BC

Ancient Greek painter

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About Aglaophon

Lived 600 BC – 500 BC. Aglaophon was a painter.

Aglaophon ( Aglaofon) was an ancient Greek painter, born on the island of Thasos. He was the father and instructor of Polygnotus. He had another son named Aristophon. As Polygnotus flourished before the 90th Olympiad, Aglaophon probably lived around the 70th Olympiad, that is, around the late 6th or early 5th century BC. Quintilian praises his paintings, which were distinguished by the simplicity of their coloring, as worthy of admiration on other grounds besides their antiquity.

Aglaophon the Younger

There was an Aglaophon who flourished in the 90th Olympiad, according to Pliny, in one of which Olympias and Pythia, as the presiding geniuses of the Olympic and Pythian Games, were represented crowning Alcibiades; in the other, Nemea, the presiding deity of the Nemean games, held Alcibiades on her knees. Alcibiades could not have gained any victories much before the 91st Olympiad in 416 BC. It is therefore exceedingly likely that this artist was the son of Aristophon, and grandson of the older Aglaophon, as among the Greeks the son generally bore the name not of his father but of his grandfather. Plutarch names Aristophon as the author of the picture of Nemea and Alcibiades. He may perhaps have assisted his son. This Aglaophon was, according to some, the first artist to represent the goddess Victory with wings.

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Important facts

Born
600 BC, Thasos
Birth century
Died
500 BC
Occupation
Also known as
Aglaophon the Elder of Thasos

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Aglaophon's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Aglaophon?

ancient Greek painter

When was Aglaophon born?

Aglaophon was born in 600 BC in Thasos.

When did Aglaophon die?

Aglaophon died in 500 BC.

What was Aglaophon's occupation?

Aglaophon was a painter.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Aglaophon

· Wikidata: Q1454839

· DBpedia: Aglaophon

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Aglaophon. https://biography.guide/aglaophon/

MLA: "Aglaophon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/aglaophon/.

Chicago: "Aglaophon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/aglaophon/.

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