Phryne

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Phryne, born Mnesarete, was a famous ancient Greek hetaira (courtesan). She came from Thespiae in Boeotia but lived most of her life in Athens. She started poor but became one of the richest women in Greece.

She is best known for a trial for impiety. A political and wealthy woman, she was defended by the orator Hypereides. Legend says she was acquitted after baring her breasts to the jury, but historians doubt this tale and there are several versions.

Phryne also worked as a model for artists, including Apelles and Praxiteles. The Aphrodite of Knidos is said by some to be based on her, though this is uncertain.

Most of what we know about Phryne comes from later writers. The main contemporary source was Hypereides’ defense speech, which is mostly lost. Other ancient writers from the Roman period—Athenaeus, Plutarch, Pausanias, and Diogenes Laertius—tell anecdotes about her. Much of the material is uncertain, and the famous breast scene probably did not happen.

The exact date of the trial is unclear. It could have been before or after 338 BC, or after 335 BC. The charges included asebeia (impiety) and possibly claims about introducing a new god or holding disreputable gatherings. Some scholars think the case was politically motivated, tied to Phryne’s wealth and influence.

Phryne became a lasting symbol in art and literature. Praxiteles may have modeled statues after her, and Apelles is said to have used her as the model for Aphrodite Anadyomene. Her story helped make Phryne an international cultural icon in later periods.

During the Renaissance she was largely overlooked, but from the 18th century she inspired neoclassical art. Gérôme’s 1861 painting Phryne Before the Areopagus popularized the story, and many later works echoed it. She also appears in poetry by Baudelaire and Rilke, and in 19th-century theatre and film.

In short, Phryne was a famous and wealthy figure whose life blends fact and legend. The surviving sources are fragmentary, so many details are uncertain, but her influence on art and culture has been long-lasting.