^6o On the Art of Painting 



merely fancy pieces ; and thirdly, becaufe as 

 they were (for the moft part) manifeftly intended 

 as ornaments to apartments, the tafte of the 

 owner, and not of the artift, would of courfe 

 be chiefly confulted. Nothing, however, can 

 be more clear than that the ancients required 

 an attention to probability in the works of their 

 artifts ; and from the manner in which their 

 writers exprefs themfelves on the fubjefl (not fo 

 much recommending the practice, as taking it 

 for granted), we may reafonably conclude that 

 their beft painters were feldom guilty of any 

 grofs violation of the coutume. Sint fi5ia fimillima 

 ijeris was an apothegm generally known, and 

 where known, muft have been univerfally 

 admitted. 



Indeed the principles of the coutume in paint- 

 ing are well exprefied, and illuftrated by Horace 

 in the fubfequent well known paffage, and in fuch 

 a manner alfo, that this alone would afford a 

 probable prefumption that the ancient connoiffeurs 

 were in the habit of expedling a drift attention 

 to propriety in this refped. 



Humano capiti cervicem pidlor equinam 

 Jungere fi velit, et varias indiloerc plumas 

 Undique coUatis membris, ut turpiter atrum 

 Definia in pifcem mulier formofa fupern^ : 

 Speftatum admiffi, rifum teneatis amici? 

 Credite, Pifones, ifti tabulae fore librum 

 Perfimilem, cujus, velut ajgri fomnia, vanse 

 Fingentur fpecies. * 



* De Art. Poetica. fub Init. The 



