[ 6 57 ] 
tc flilus ; until fhips began to be painted : then this 
“ third kind came up of ufing a brufh or pencil, with 
<c wax melted by fire, &c.” Now tho’ Pliny ufes the 
word pingendi in the two firfl, we cannot underfland 
that he could mean the laying on of paint, fince the 
inftrument (the ceflrum) being pointed, is incapable of 
fuch an office ; and fecondly, becaufe he immediately 
mentions a third kind of painting diftindt from, and 
an abfolute contrail: to the other two, wherein the 
paint with the melted wax was laid on with a brufh ; 
and this contrail is very llrong in another paffage in 
the fame chapter, where he fpeaks of a famous vir- 
gin called Lala, of whom he fays, “ Roms et peni- 
<c cillo pinxit, etceflroin ebore, imagines mulierum 
“ maxume.” That is fhe painted at Rome with a 
pencil, and with the ceflrum or flilus upon ivory, 
chiefly the images or portraits of women. 
We cannot help thinking, that what was done with 
the ceflrum, either upon the wax or ivory, was mo- 
delling or carving 3 for the modellers of this day, in 
their compofitions of wax and other materials, ufe 
pointed tools to repair and render their figures fharp 3 
and the workers in ivory ufe fuch tools of various 
points and edges for the fame purpofe. 
It will not be amifs in this place to take notice of 
the fenfe, in which Monf. Durand puts this paffage, of 
which he makes a very loofe tranflation in his hiftory 
of antient painting : viz. “ II faut que j’indique ici 
en peu des mots ce que c’eft que cette peinture 
“ en cire, que l’on perfedtionne avec le feu : pour 
“ cela il faut i^avoir, qu’ anciennement il y en avoit 
“ de deux fortes 3 dans la premiere, on employoit la 
<f cire preparee en divers coleurs, qu’on appliquot 
“ en 
