Aegineta

Who is Aegineta?

Aegineta was an ancient Greek modeller mentioned by Pliny the Elder. Some scholars supposed that the word Aeginetae in the passage of Pliny denoted merely the country—Aegina—of some artist, whose real name was not given. The consensus of scholarly opinion is now against this hypothesis, however, and it is generally believed that "Aegineta" was the man's given name.

His brother Pasias, a painter of some distinction, was a pupil of Erigonus, who had been color-grinder to the artist Nealces. We learn from Plutarch, that Nealces was a friend of Aratus of Sicyon, who was elected praetor of the Achaean League in 243 BC. We shall not be far wrong therefore in assuming that Aegineta and his brother flourished about 220 BC.