LEOCHARES

leochares, a greek sculptor who worked with scopas on the mausoleum about 350 b.c. he executed statues of the family of philip of macedon, in gold and ivory, which were set up by that king in the philippeum at olympia. he also with lysippus made a group in bronze at delphi representing a lion-hunt of alexander. of this the base with an inscription was recently found. we hear of other statues by leochares of zeus, apollo and ares. the statuette in the vatican, representing ganymede being carried away by an eagle, though considerably restored and poor in execution, so closely corresponds with pliny's description of a group by leochares that we are justified in considering it a copy of that group, especially as the vatican statue shows all the characteristics of attic 4th-century art. pliny (_n.h._ 34. 79) writes: "leochares made a group of an eagle aware whom it is carrying off in ganymede and to whom it is bearing him; holding the boy delicately in its claws, with his garment between." (for engraving see greek art, plate i. fig. 53.) the tree stem is skilfully used as a support; and the upward strain of the group is ably rendered. the close likeness both in head and pose between the ganymede and the well-known apollo belvidere has caused some modern archaeologists to assign the latter also to leochares. with somewhat more confidence we may regard the fine statue of alexander the great at munich as a copy of his gold and ivory portrait at olympia. (p. g.) leofric (d. 1057), earl of mercia, was a son of leofwine, earl of mercia, and became earl at some date previous to 1032. henceforth, being one of the three great earls of the realm, he took a leading part in public affairs. on the death of king canute in 1035 he supported the claim of his son harold to the throne against that of hardicanute; and during the quarrel between edward the confessor and earl godwine in 1051 he played the part of a mediator. through his efforts civil war was averted, and in accordance with his advice the settlement of the dispute was referred to the witan. when he became earl of mercia his direct rule seems to have been confined to cheshire, staffordshire, shropshire and the borders of north wales, but afterwards he extended the area of his earldom. as chester was his principal residence and the seat of his government, he is sometimes called earl of chester. leofric died at bromley in staffordshire on the 31st of august 1057. his wife was godgifu, famous in legend as lady godiva. both husband and wife were noted as liberal benefactors to the church, among their foundations being the famous benedictine monastery at coventry. leofric's son, ælfgar, succeeded him as earl of mercia. see e. a. freeman, _the norman conquest_, vols. i. and ii. (1877).