Chares of Lindos
Greek sculptor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chares of Lindos (/ˈkɛəriːz/; Ancient Greek: Χάρης ὁ Λίνδιος, gen.: Χάρητος; before 305 BC – c.280 BC) was a Greek sculptor born on the island of Rhodes. He was a pupil of Lysippos.[1] Chares constructed the Colossus of Rhodes in 282 BC, an enormous bronze statue of the sun god Helios and the patron god of Rhodes.[2] The statue was built to commemorate Rhodes' victory over the invading Macedonians in 305 BC, led by Demetrius I, son of Antigonus, a general under Alexander the Great. Also attributed to Chares was a colossal head that was brought to Rome and dedicated by P. Lentulus Spinther on the Capitoline Hill in 57 BC (Pliny, Natural History XXXIV.18).[3]
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Chares of Lindos | |
|---|---|
19th-century artistic impression of the Colossus of Rhodes, created by Chares of Lindos | |
| Born | before 305 BC |
| Died | c. 280 BC Rhodes, Greece |
| Occupation | sculptor |
| Years active | ?-c.280 BC |
| Notable work | Colossus of Rhodes |
The Colossus of Rhodes is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,[4] and was considered Chares's greatest accomplishment, until its destruction in an earthquake in 226 BC.[5]
The work may have been completed by Laches, also an inhabitant of Lindos.[6][7][8]
In popular culture
- L. Sprague de Camp's novel The Bronze God of Rhodes is written as Chares' memoirs of the Siege of Rhodes and the building of the Colossus of Rhodes.
- Asteroid 236746 Chareslindos, discovered by Vincenzo Casulli in 2007, was named after the ancient Greek sculptor.[9] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 November 2017 (M.P.C. 107121).[10]
- Chares, called by the Italian version of his name (Carete), appears in the 1961 film The Colossus of Rhodes, portrayed by Félix Fernández.