The Friendship of Pericles to Anaxagoras

What it is

This painting by Jean-Charles Nicaise Perrin shows Pericles standing beside the philosopher Anaxagoras, who reclines on a couch. It is a later, imagined depiction rather than a scene witnessed at the time.

Why it matters

Anaxagoras was an important philosophical influence on Pericles, and ancient sources describe their friendship as significant to his intellectual development. This painting reflects how later European artists romanticized the relationship between Greek statesmen and philosophers.

Look closer

• What gestures do the two men make, and what might they suggest about their relationship?
• Why do you think the artist chose a classical setting with columns and drapery?
• What can't a painted scene like this tell us about the real friendship between these men?