Antiphilus was an ancient Greek painter of the Hellenistic age, active between the fourth and third centuries BC, whose work is known today only through literary testimonies. He matters because Quintilian counts him among the great painters of the age of Alexander the Great, alongside Eufranor, Apelles and Protogenes. He was born in Egypt, probably at Naucratis, and trained there as a pupil of Ctesidemus. He is said to have worked for Philip II of Macedon and for Ptolemy I.
He painted in tempera and encaustic, choosing mythological and historical subjects, genre scenes and caricatures. Ancient descriptions of his works stress his command of light and shade and the effects of light. Among the most admired were a satyr spying, covered with a panther skin, a boy blowing on a fire, and a caricature of a man called Gryllos, considered the first of its kind. His reputation is confirmed by the number of his works recorded in Rome, where paintings by him decorated the Schola Octaviae and the Curia Pompeii.
He was regarded as a rival of Apelles. Lucian of Samosata records the story of Antiphilus's jealousy at Apelles's success, which led to a slander that got Apelles imprisoned by Ptolemy I. The account belongs to the literary tradition and should be read with caution.
His legacy is mostly indirect. A Hunt of Ptolemy is attributed to him and is thought to have served as the model for mosaics found at Stabiae and Sétif and for a hunting frieze at Vergina. Quintilian credits him with great facility, a quality that probably refers less to speed of execution than to the range of genres and techniques he mastered.