Mitchell, Lucy M.: A history of ancient sculpture (New York, 1883)

650 SCULPTURE UNDER ROMAN DOMINION.

as a dangerous luxury. It was complained, that the people were led to waste
their time in art-gossip ; and Seneca considered art a dissipation which man-
kind would be better off without. Cicero disclaimed all interest in art-matters;
and Virgil, with true Roman pride, said that his nation was called to rule
the world, and not to put a soul into bronze, or from the marble draw out
the features of life. But the Greek literature, to which the Romans now
turned with great zeal, directed their attention to the work of the statuary and
painter; the rhetorical treatises abounding in allusions to the fine arts. It
became a part of a polite education, to be informed about the masterpieces,
and to be familiar with Greek epigrams, convenient modes of criticism, where
genuine interest in the object was lacking. It was considered good tone,
that one should have seen the most celebrated works ; and Tacitus, no doubt,
betrays the prevailing spirit when he says, " One having looked at a statue or
picture once goes away satisfied, and never returns again." In travelling, the
Roman's chief interest was for historical associations. Cicero makes Atticus
say, " Even my beloved Athens delights me, not so much by her buildings and
works of old masters, as by the memories of her great men, where they lived,
where they sat, and where they were accustomed to pass their time in con-
verse ; also their graves I look at with interest." But the gloriously laid out
cities of the Hellenistic age, with their wealth of art adorning temple and pal-
ace, met the eyes of the Romans wherever they went, and could not fail in time
to arouse them, if only from love of display, to emulate such examples. Even
in the days of the republic, matters had gone so far that in Sulla's time stat-
uary and painting were as necessary a part of the furniture of a rich man s
house as his tapestries and silver. Cicero himself is a striking instance of
the power of this fashion. Although disclaiming an interest in art, he had
Atticus send him many statues for his villa at Gaeta, and to fit out his Tuscu-
lum villa, where he planned an academy. He especially desired reliefs, to be
let into the wall, evidently those pictures in stone which decorated Hellenistic
palaces ; but he paid liberally for statues as well, although complaining some-
times of their cost. But Cicero was only one of many. It was said of Julius
Caesar and of a certain Damasippus, that they bought old statues as though the}'
were insane. One Domitius Tullus had stowed away in his magazines so great
a store of glorious works, about which he had, however, concerned himself but
little, that, the very clay on which he bought a park, he was able fully to furnish
it with statuary. Did a rich man's house burn down, his friends made good
his loss by presenting him with every variety of famous old works. Juvenal s
expression, " marble gardens," is made vivid by Martial's description of a foun-
tain in the garden of Arruntius Stella, about which stood a crowd of marble
figures of beautiful youth, while in a grotto near by was to be seen a Heracles.
Such pictures as that given of the villa of Pollio Eelix at Sorrento, lookm-;
off on to the Gulf of Naples, with marble-lined courts, and sculptures of old