Essays in Portraiture Defended - Classic Text | Alexandria
Essays in Portraiture Defended (also known as Pro Imaginibus) stands as one of Lucian of Samosata's most sophisticated rhetorical works, composed in the 2nd century CE as a companion piece to his earlier "Essays in Portraiture." This dialogue represents a masterful defense of literary and artistic portraiture while simultaneously serving as a meta-commentary on the nature of flattery, truth, and representation in classical rhetoric.
The work emerged during the Second Sophistic period, an era of Greek cultural resurgence under Roman rule, when rhetoricians and philosophers grappled with questions of authenticity and artistic representation. Written around 162-165 CE, the text takes the form of a dialogue between Lycinus (Lucian's literary alter ego) and Polystratus, continuing a conversation about the proper means of praising beauty and virtue without descending into mere adulation.
At its core, "Essays in Portraiture Defended" responds to a fictional criticism from its subject, Panthea (likely representing Lucius Verus's mistress), who allegedly found the earlier portrait too flattering. Through sophisticated rhetorical strategies, Lucian transforms what might have been a simple apologetic work into a complex meditation on the relationship between art, truth, and praise. The text weaves together references to classical literature, mythology, and visual arts, demonstrating how different modes of representation can converge to capture essential truths about their subjects.
The work's influence extends far beyond its immediate context, informing Renaissance debates about ut pictura poesis (as is painting, so is poetry) and contributing to ongoing discussions about the nature of artistic representation. Modern scholars continue to mine the text for insights into ancient attitudes toward ekphrasis (verbal description of visual artworks), the limits of praise, and the complex relationship between flattery and truth in rhetorical practice.
The enduring relevance of "Essays in Portraiture Defended" lies in its sophisticated exploration of questions that remain pertinent today: How do we represent truth in art? Where does legitimate praise end and mere flattery begin? These questions, first posed by Lucian nearly two millennia ago, continue to resonate in contemporary discussions of representation, authenticity, and artistic truth.