A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Early Roman Art 377
we see an Atalanta and a Helena, without drapery, close
Paintings of
together and painted by the same artist. They are both and class are
of the greatest beauty, the former being evidently the fJonf Etms-^
figure of a girl, and they still remain uninjured, though the '^^^J^^^^'
temple is in ruins. The Emperor Gaius, inflamed with World, 320 f.
greed, attempted to have them removed, but the nature
of the plaster would not admit of it.
There are in existence
at Caere some paintings of a still higher antiquity.
Whoever carefully examines them, will be forced to admit
that no art has arrived more speedily at perfection, seeing
that it was evidently not in existence at the time of the
Trojan War.
Among the Romans, too, this art very soon rose into °^
'^^f^
esteem, for it was from it that the Fabii, a most illustrious
family, derived their surname of "Pictor;" indeed the
first" of the family who bore it himself painted the Temple
of Salus, in the year of the city 450, a work which lasted
to our own times, but was destroyed when the temple
was burnt, in the reign of Claudius, , . .
(Safety),
304 B.C.
Statues of this nature are still in existence at various Terra-cotta
. . . , art.
places.
At Rome in fact and m our municipal towns, we
still see many such pediments of temples; wonderful, too, raTmstofy^'
for their workmanship and from their artistic merit and ^xxv. 46.
long duration, more deserving of our respect than gold,
and certainly far less baneful. At the present day, even in Very 5^°^-^^^
the midst of such wealth as we possess, we make our first Rome and
libation at the sacrifice, not from vessels of murrhine or Etruna.
crystal, but from ladles made of earthenware.
Another instance of the severe discipHne of this office is
J^^^fj^^^'^j^j
as follows: There was a deliberation about fining a man, the censors,
who was being called by his friend before the censors. QgUius iv.
WTiilst expecting their decision he yawTied clearly and 20.