BOOK XXXIII. Lvi. 158-LV11. 161 



which costs half the price of Attic. The third kind 

 is dark ochre, Mhich other people call Scyric ochre, 

 as it comes from the island of Scyros, and nowadays 

 also from Achaia, which they use for the shadows of a 

 painting, price two sesterces a pound, while that 

 called clear ochre, coming from Gaul, costs two 

 asses less. This and the Attic kind they use for 

 painting different kinds of Hght, but only marbled 

 ochre for squared panel designs, because the marble 

 in it resists the acridity of the lime. This ochre is 

 also dug up in the mountains 20 miles from Rome. 

 It is afterwards burnt, and by some people it is 

 adulterated and passed off as dark ochre ; but the 

 fact that it is not genuine and has been burnt is 

 shown by its acridity and by its crumbhng into dust. 



The custom of using yellow ochre for painting was 

 first introduced by Polygnotus and Micon, but they 

 only used the kind from Attica. The following 

 period employed this for representing Hghts but 

 ochre from Scyros and Lydia for shadows. Lydian 

 ochre used to be sold at Sardis, but now it has quite 

 gone out. 



LVn. The blue pigment ^* is a sand. In old days Azuriie. 

 there were three varieties : the Egyptian is thought 

 most highly of ; next the Scythian mixes easily with 

 water, and changes into four colours when ground, 

 lighter or darker and coarser or finer ; to this blue 

 the Cyprian is now preferred. To these were added 

 the PozzuoU blue, and the Spanish blue, when bhie 

 sand-deposits began to be w'orked in those places. 

 Every kind however undergoes a dyeing process, 

 being boiled with a special plant and absorbing its 

 juice ; but the remainder of the process of manufac- §§ scaqq. 

 ture is the same as with o;old-sokler. 



119 



