In Plato's Symposium, Aristophanes (one of the participants in the
discussion) describes how "the primeval man was round, his back and
sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head
with two faces, looking opposite ways, set on a round neck and
precisely alike; also four ears, two privy members, and the remainder
to correspond". Aristophanes goes on to explain that Zeus decided to
cut everyone in half, and bade Apollo give the face and the half of
the neck a turn in order that the man might contemplate the section of
himself. Apollo was also bidden to heal their wounds and compose their
forms, and so he pulled the skin from the sides all over that which in
our language is called the belly, and he made one mouth at the centre,
which he fastened in a knot (the same which is called the navel).

So far, so good! But is there a reasonably well-known picture of
primeval man either before or after his bisection, and if so what is
its title and who is the artist?

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 18 May 2004 14:08 PDT

roderick --

I have found one (and only one) candidate for a picture of
Aristophanes's "primeval man," but I need some clarification of your
description of what you want.

That is, would a full-page black-and-white drawing in a book by a
"reasonably well-known" magazine and book illustrator (and occasional
painter) fully meet your needs?  The image, which is available online,
is from a limited-edition book published in the 1960s.  It is
available from online used-book sellers and presumably from some
larger libraries. Or would you rather hold out for a larger image in
some other medium?

markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by roderick-ga on 19 May 2004 12:01 PDT

There really need to be four hands and four feet, and a navel, plus
something that is plainly a circle.

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Clarification of Question by roderick-ga on 19 May 2004 12:05 PDT

I realise that I haven't quite answered your question (can anyone tell
me how to type in one's clarification with the request for
clarification also in view?). An illustration in a book would be fine
? I don't necessarily want something hanging in the Louvre!

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Clarification of Question by roderick-ga on 19 May 2004 13:41 PDT

Does the picture have a name or title? As I said in my original
request, I need a title.

roderick --

The image I have found clearly shows the two faces and four limbs of
the "primeval man," and the posture of the body and the four limbs
create an unmistakable circle. The image does not show the navel or
the "privy parts," both of which are modestly covered by the long
stylized hair of the creature. Because of the long,stylized hair and
the frontal view of the body, the drawing also doesn't show explicitly
how the "back and sides" form a circle (although, as I said, the body
as a whole is represented in a circular shape).

Let me know if this image would suit your purposes.


markj-ga

roderick --

The online image I found is a photo of the page in the book, and there
is no caption or title to the drawing there, although I suppose there
could be a caption on the facing page.  However, it is extremely
likely that the image is identified in a typical list of illustrations
at the beginning or end of the book, but I can't prove it without
examining a copy.

I have checked for the availability of this limited edition in my
local libraries, and a copy is available at a university a few miles
from my home.  I will be going in the direction of that library in the
next few days.  If no other researcher can find an image that exactly
meets all of your specifications, I would be happy to visit the
library at that time and see how my image is identified in this
relatively rare edition.

markj-ga