Bryaxis
Encyclopedia
Bryaxis (born ca. 350 BC) was an ancient Greek
sculptor. He created the sculptures on the north side of the mausoleum
of Maussollos
at Halicarnassus
which was commissioned by the queen Artemisia
II of Caria
in memory of her brother and husband, Mausolus. The three other greatest sculptors of their time, Leochares
, Scopas
and Timotheus, were each one responsible for one side of the grave
. The tomb was completed three years after the death of Mausolus and one year after the death of Artemisia. Some authors allege that Bryaxis created a famous colossal statue of Serapis
in the temple at Alexandria; however, according to Michaelis
, Athenodoros Cananites
expressly pointed out that the Bryaxis connected with the Alexandrian statue was merely a namesake of the famous Bryaxis. The works of Bryaxis include a bronze statue of Seleucus, king of Syria, 5 huge statues at Rhodes, and a statue of Apollo at Daphne near Antioch
.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
sculptor. He created the sculptures on the north side of the mausoleum
Mausoleum of Maussollos
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia II of Caria, his wife and sister....
of Maussollos
Mausolus
Mausolus was ruler of Caria . He took part in the revolt against Artaxerxes Mnemon , conquered a great part of Lycia, Ionia and several Greek islands and cooperated with the Rhodians in the Social War against Athens...
at Halicarnassus
Halicarnassus
Halicarnassus was an ancient Greek city at the site of modern Bodrum in Turkey. It was located in southwest Caria on a picturesque, advantageous site on the Ceramic Gulf. The city was famous for the tomb of Mausolus, the origin of the word mausoleum, built between 353 BC and 350 BC, and...
which was commissioned by the queen Artemisia
Artemisia II of Caria
Artemisia II of Caria was a sister, the wife and the successor of the king Mausolus. She was a daughter of Hecatomnus, and after the death of her husband she reigned for two years, from 353 to 351 BC...
II of Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
in memory of her brother and husband, Mausolus. The three other greatest sculptors of their time, Leochares
Leochares
Leochares was a Greek sculptor from Athens, who lived in the 4th century BC.-Works:Leochares worked at the construction of the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". The Diana of Versailles is a Roman copy of his original...
, Scopas
Scopas
Scopas or Skopas was an Ancient Greek sculptor and architect, born on the island of Paros. Scopas worked with Praxiteles, and he sculpted parts of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, especially the reliefs. He led the building of the new temple of Athena Alea at Tegea...
and Timotheus, were each one responsible for one side of the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
. The tomb was completed three years after the death of Mausolus and one year after the death of Artemisia. Some authors allege that Bryaxis created a famous colossal statue of Serapis
Serapis
Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian name of God. Serapis was devised during the 3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography...
in the temple at Alexandria; however, according to Michaelis
Adolf Michaelis
Adolf Michaelis was a German classical scholar, a professor of art history at the University of Strasbourg from 1872, who helped establish the connoisseurship of Ancient Greek sculpture and Roman sculpture on their modern footing...
, Athenodoros Cananites
Athenodoros Cananites
Athenodorus Cananites was a Stoic philosopher. He was born in Canana, near Tarsus ; his father was Sandon...
expressly pointed out that the Bryaxis connected with the Alexandrian statue was merely a namesake of the famous Bryaxis. The works of Bryaxis include a bronze statue of Seleucus, king of Syria, 5 huge statues at Rhodes, and a statue of Apollo at Daphne near Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
.