IMAGES, in sculpture. This word was used among the ancients, more par ticularly to denominate the portraits of their ancestors, either in painting or sculpture. The Greeks and Romans en tertained for these images the greatest veneration, and even rendered them a sort of worship. The Romans preserved with especial care the images of their ancestors, and had them carried both in their funeral polyps attain their triumphs. This honor, however, was restricted to figtres of such as had held important offices in the state ; as for instance, those of a:dile, prwtor, or consul. These images were often made of wax, sometimes of mar ble, and were occasionally adorned with pearls. The atrium or porch of those families who had for a long time held the principal magistracies, were filled with an infinite number of these images. They became smoke-',tried, in course of time, by the fire which was always kept lighted in the atrium, in honor of the hires, or household gods. In order to prevent t his, they were sometimes deposited in the chests or presses. On days of solemnity or rejoicing, they drew these star nes fort It, crowned theta with laurel, or decked them with the habits which characterized the public offices of the parties whom they depicted. The ancients were likewise habituated to engrave upon their rings the images of their T7iends, with which they also ornamented their cups and vases. The disciples of Epicurus did not content themselves with depositing the image of their master in their inner or sleeping apartments, where they rein ler ed it a species of worship, but bore it, is like manner, on their rings, and had it engraven on their vases. The Roman
emperor Claudius permitted not his sub jects indiscriminately to wear his figure on their rings, but those alone who had made public entry of them—thus, in fact, forming a kind of tax thereon. It was also customary. among the ancients, to place at the stern of a vessel the images of certain deities or animals, which thence acquired the title of tutelcu naris, the guardian of the ship. Another custom was to set, up, both in public and private libraries, the images or busts of the most celebrated writers. Both Greeks and Romans offered in the temples of their gods, not only images of themselves, but of other personages also. Thus, Diog,cries Laertius informs us, that Mithridates, son of Rodobat es, dedicated to the Muses the statue of Plato. According to an other ancient author, Romulus dedicated to Vulcan certain chariots of gold, toge ther with his own statue ; and we read in Tacitus. that Julia dedicated to Augustus the image of :1Iarcellus. Since the in troduction of Christianity, the use of images has been preserved in the Greek and Roman Catholic churches.