one of the most celebrated of Greek painters, was a native of Ephesus, and flourished towards the close of the fifth century B.C. Coming to Athens after he had studied under his father Evenor, he soon achieved the highest renown. The Athenians held him in great honour, and conferred upon him the privileges of a citizen. He painted many admirable pictures, which elicited from succeeding authors the most enthusiastic encomiums; and he established a canon of proportion which procured for him from Quintilian the title of "Legislator" of his art. How valuable his productions were, both in a practical and theoretical point of view, is described under the article PAINTING. There is even a story, that he foiled the great master Zeuxis in a contest of skill, in which he painted a curtain, and his rival painted a cluster of grapes. But while Parrhasius was thus proving himself to be one of the greatest of painters, he was also showing himself to be one of the weakest of men. He assumed the title of "Prince of Painters," and, in accordance with this character, exhibited himself to the citizens arrayed in purple and crowned with a golden garland. He dubbed himself Ἀσπερός ("The Elegant"); and he addressed to himself an epigram, dwelling with complacency upon his personal history, and congratulating himself for having brought painting to the very pitch of perfection. He had even higher moods of vanity, in which nothing less than a relationship with the immortals would satisfy him. Apollo was declared to be his ancestor, Hercules was said to visit him frequently in a vision of the night, and his own portrait was hung up in a temple to call forth adoration from the multitude. Two of the most celebrated works of Parrhasius were,—an allegorical representation of the Athenian people, which is said by Pliny to have indicated all the qualities, both good and bad, of the mob; and a picture of Theseus, which was afterwards removed to the Capitol at Rome.