The Art of Painting

Ephesus was renowned not only for its sculptors but also for its painters. Parrhasius, who lived in the 5th century BC, is regarded as the most important painter of his age; he was known for his mastery of lines and his skill in illusion. He is famously said to have deceived his rival Zeuxis with the illusion of a painted curtain.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Apelles gained prominence. Apelles, court painter to Alexander the Great, painted the “Keraunophoros” for the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, depicting Alexander holding a thunderbolt. Ancient sources also recount that Apelles painted scenes depicting the Artemis cult ceremonies.