Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1'PICTURA. PIGNUS. 915
gmongst the Romans; Varro made a collection of perors. It was also common in Greece and Asia
the portraits of 700 eminent men. (Plin. II. N. Minor at all earlier period, but at the time of
xxxv. 2.) The portraits or statues of men who which we are now treating it began to a great
had performed any public service were placed in extent even to supersede painting. It was used
the temples and other public places; and several chiefly for floors, but walls alid also ceilings were
edicts were passed by the emperors of Rome re- sometimes ornamented in the same way. (Plinl.
specting the placing of them. (Sueton. Tiber. 26, II. An xxxvi. 60, 64; Athen. xii. p. 542, d.;
Calig. 34.) The portraits of authors also were Senec. Ep. 86; Lucan, x. 11.6.) There wvere
placed in the public libraries; they were appa- varioues kinds of mosaic; the lit/ostrota were disrently fixed above the cases which contained their tinct fromn the picturace de musivo. There were
writings, below which chairs were placed for the several kinds of the former, as the sectile, the tesconvenience of readers. (Cic. ad Attie. iv. 10; sellaturn, and the versmiculatum, which are all
Sueton. Tiber. 70, Calig. 34.) They were painted mechanical and ornamental styles, unapplicable to
also at the beginning of manuscripts. (Martial, xiv. painting, as they were worked in regular figures.
186.) Respecting the imagines or wax portraits, As a general distinction between musivum and
which were preserved in "armaria " in the atria lithostrotmn, it mcay be observed that the picture
of private houses (Plin. J-. N. xxxv. 2; Senec. de itself was de mcsivco or opuls 22nsivu1o), and its
Beneft iii. 28), there is an interesting account in fiaclle, whichh was often very large and beautiful, was
Polybius (vi. 53). With the exception of Aetion, lithostrotiem. The fornner was made of various
as already mentioned, not a single painter of this coloured small cubes (tesserae or tessellae), of difperiod rose to eminence: although some were of ferent slcaterials, and the latter of small thin slabs,
course more distinguished than others; as the erustae, of various marbles, &c.; the artists were
profligate Arellius; Fabullus, who painted Nero's termed munSi'CarCii, and quadratarii or tessellarii regolden house; Dorotheus, who copied for Nero the spectively. Pliny (H. N. xxxvi. 60) attributes the
Venus Anadyomene of Apelles; Cornelius Pinus, origin of mosaic pavements to the Greeks. IHe menAccius Priscus, Marcus Ludius, Mallius, and others. tions the " asarotus oecus " at Pergamum, by Sosus,
(Plin. H.N. xxxv. 37. &e.) Portrait, decorative, the most celebrated of the Greek musivarii, the
and scene painting seem to have engrossed the art. pavement of which represented the remnants of a
Pliny and Vitruvius regret in strong terms the de- supper. He mentions also at Pergamnum the famous
plorable state of painting in their times, which was Cantharnss with the doves, of which the' Doves of
but the commencement of the decay; Vitrevius the Capitol' is supposed to be a copy. (Alous. Caqp.
has devoted an entire chapter (vii. 5) to a lament- iv. 69.) Another musivarius of antiquity wasa tion over its fallen state; and Pliny speaks of it Dioscorides of Sa inos, whose name is found upon two
as a dying art. (H. N. xxxv. 11.) The latter mosaics of Pompeii. (Alios. Borb. iv. 34.) Five
writer instances (H. N. xxxv. 33) as a sign of the otherls are mnentioned by:Mliller. (Archiol. ~ 322.
madness of his time (noshtce aetatis insaniane), the 4.) T'here are still manly great mosaics of the
colossal portrait of Nero, 120 feet high, which was ancients extalt. (See the works of Ciampini,
painted upon canvas, a thing unlknown till that Furietti, and Laborde.) The most interesting and
time. most valuable is the one lately discovered in PoemMarcus Ludius, in the tinle of Augustus, became peii, which is supposed to represent the battle of
very celebrated for his landscape decorations, which Issues. his mosaic is certainly one of the most
were illustrated with figures actively employed in valuable relics of ancient art, and the design and
occupations suited to the scenes; the artist's name, composition of the work are so superior to its exehowever, is doubtful. (See Diet. of' Bioj.. s.) cution, that the original has evidently been the
This kind of painting became universal after his production of an age long anterior to the degenerate
time, and apparently with every species of licence. period of the mosaic itself. The composition is
Vitruvius contrasts the state of decorative painting simple, forcible, and beautiful, and the design exin his own age with what it was formerly, and he hibits in many respects merits of the highest order.
enuInerates the various kinds of wall painting in (See Nicolini, Qmeadro in muscaico scoperto in Pontuse amongst the ancients. They first imitated the peii; Mazois, Ponip6i, iv. 48 and 49; and MUller,
arrangement and varieties of slabs of marble, then DenknLsiler der alten Kunst, i. 55.) [R.N.W.]
the variegated frames and cornices of panels, to PIGNORATVCIA ACTIO. [PIGNUS.]
which were afterwards added architectural decorsa- PI'GNORIS CA'PIO. [PER PIGNORIS CAtions; and finally in the exedrae were painted PIONE.U.]
tragic, comic, or satyric scenes, and in the long PIGNUS, a pledge or security for a debt or degalleries and corridors,various kinds of landscapes, mand, is derived, says Gcaius (Dig. 50. tit. 16. s.
or even subjects from the poets and the higher 238), from pugnuse " quia quae pignori dantur,
walks of history. But these things were in the manu traduntur." This is one of several instances
time of Vitruvius tastelessly laid aside, and had of the failure of the Roman Jurists when they at.given place to mere gaudy display, or the most tempted etymological explanation of words. [Muphantastic and wild conceptions, such as many of TruUM.] The element of pignus (pig) is contained
the paintings which have been discovered in in the word pa(n)g-o, and its cognate forms.
Pompeii. A thing is said to be pledged to a manl when it
Painting now came to be practised by slaves, is made a security to him for some debt or demand.
and painters as a body were held in little or no It is called, says Ulpian, Pignus when the possesesteem. Respecting the depraved application of sion of the thing is given to him to wholm it is
the arts at this period see Plin. H. N. xxxv. 33; made a security, and Hypotheca, when it is nlade
Petron. Sat, 88; Propert. ii. 6; Sueton. Tib. 43; a security without being put in his possession.
Juven. ix. 145, xii. 28. (Dig. 13. tit. 7. s. 9. ~ 2; Isidor. Orig. v. 25;
Mosaic, or picturta de neusivo, opus musivum, was see also Cic. ad fcsm. xiii. 56.) The agreement
rery general in Rome in the time of the early em- for pledge which wais made without delivery of the
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