Giacinto, il Discobolo di Mirone e lo sguardo di un sofista. Filostrato, Im. 1.24

The aim of the present paper is to show, through an analysis of Philostratus, Im. I 24 (Hyacinthus), how the author does not limit himself to explaining to his young audience the subjects of the paintings of his picture gallery, but also aims to educate their taste and to suggest judgement criteria, that do not only concern the visual dimension, but also the rhetoric and literary ones. In the case of Hyacinthus, Philostratus focuses on the most unlikely aspects of its myth; he then takes part in the critical debate about the limits of plastic arts, focusing, in particular, on Myron – the famous sculptor whose masterpiece, the Discobolus, is evoked, although not explicitly mentioned. The analysis will also represent an occasion to focus on a particularly problematic textual passage, from which, in the past, it was believed it was possible to derive technical information to establish the rules for discus throw at the first modern Olympic games. The passage will provide an occasion to highlight how the nature itself of Philostratus’ work, that draws on the visual culture of his time and ‘ekphrastically’ elicits, through ἐνάργεια, vividness, the visual imagination of his audience, favoured a tendence to interpret Philostratus’ γραφαί based on images rather than on the text itself.