In the sun-drenched gardens of ancient Ephesus, a venerable sculptor named Bryaxis receives his devoted apprentices. They have come to worship at the feet of the old master, to learn not merely technique but the secret of capturing divine beauty in marble. When the mischievous Ophélion arrives with gossip of a queen's impossible demands on the painter Clésidès, the conversation turns to the eternal battle between artist and patron, between the one who creates and the one who commissions. Here, in this garden where the jasmine grows thick and the fountain plays, these men of art debate the nature of beauty, the relationship between creator and beloved, and the cost of serving the ideal. Louÿs writes with the same lush precision that made Aphrodite unforgettable, filling each scene with the perfume of flowers, the weight of summer air, the ache of desire. This is a novel for those who believe art and sensuality are inseparable, who wish to be transported to a world of marble and honey and endless afternoon.
