one of the most celebrated painters of antiquity. He was born in the isle of Cos, and flourished in the time of Alexander the Great, with whom he was in high favour. He executed a picture of this prince, holding a thunderbolt in his hand: a piece, finished with so much skill and dexterity, that it used to be said there were two Alexanders; one invincible, the son of Philip; the other inimitable, the production of Apelles. Alexander gave him a remarkable proof of his regard: for when he employed Apelles to draw Campalpe, one of his mistresses, having found that he had conceived an affection for her, he resigned her to him; and it was from her that Apelles is said to have drawn his Venus Anadyomene.

One of Apelles's chief excellencies was his making his pictures to exactly resemble the persons represented; insomuch that the physiognomists are said to have been able to form a judgment as readily from his portraits as if they had seen the originals. His readiness and dexterity at taking a likeness was of great service to him, in extricating him from a difficulty in which he was involved at the court of Egypt: He had not the good fortune to be in favour with Ptolemy; a storm forced him, however, to take shelter at Alexandria, during the reign of this prince: a mischievous fellow, in order to do him a disservice, went to him, and in the king's name invited him to dinner. Apelles went; and seeing the king in a prodigious passion, told him, by way of excuse, that he should not have come to his table but by his orders. He was commanded to show the man who had invited him; this was impossible, the person who had put the trick upon him not being present: Apelles, however, drew a sketch of his picture upon the wall with a coal, the first lines of which discovered him immediately to Ptolemy.

Apelles left many excellent pictures, which are mentioned with great honour by the ancients; but his Venus Anadyomene is reckoned his master-piece. His Antigonus has also been much celebrated; this was drawn with a side-face, to hide the deformity of Antigonus, who had lost an eye. His picture of Calumny has also been much taken notice of; and he is said to have painted a horse so naturally, that horses neighed when they saw it.