Parrhasius [key], fl. c.400 b.c., Greek painter. He was born in Ephesus but settled in Athens and is classed with the Attic painters. One of the greatest painters of Greece, a contemporary and rival of Zeuxis, he is credited by ancient writers with having been the first painter to attain perfect symmetry and correct proportions in his figures. Among the most celebrated of his numerous works were an allegorical painting, Demos, personifying the Athenian democracy, and Theseus. All his works have perished and are known only through descriptions by classical writers.
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