A dictionary of Greek and Roman . e used until it has been previouslycleaned and polished. For this reason a spongewith pounded pumice-stone was generally fastenedto the ancient mirrors. (Plat. Timaeus, p. 72, c.;Vossius, ad Catull. p. 97.) Looking-glasses were generally small and suchas could be carried in the hand. Most of thosewhich are preserved in our Museums are of thiskind ; they usually have a handle, and are of around or oval shape. Their general form is shownin the woodcut annexed. (Caylus, Recueil dAn-tiquites, vol. v. pi. 62.) Instead of their being fixed so as to be
A dictionary of Greek and Roman . e used until it has been previouslycleaned and polished. For this reason a spongewith pounded pumice-stone was generally fastenedto the ancient mirrors. (Plat. Timaeus, p. 72, c.;Vossius, ad Catull. p. 97.) Looking-glasses were generally small and suchas could be carried in the hand. Most of thosewhich are preserved in our Museums are of thiskind ; they usually have a handle, and are of around or oval shape. Their general form is shownin the woodcut annexed. (Caylus, Recueil dAn-tiquites, vol. v. pi. 62.) Instead of their being fixed so as to be hung againstthe wall or to stand upon the table or floor, they SPIRA. were generally held by female slaves before theirmistresses when dressing (Propert. iv. 7. 75, 76),which office was also performed sometimes by thelover, when admitted to the toilet of his mistress.(Ovid. Ar. Am. ii. 216.) On ancient vases wesometimes find female slaves represented holdingup mirrors to their mistresses. (Tischbein, ancient Vases, vol. i. pi. 10.). Looking-glasses, however, were also made of thelength of a persons body {specula totis paria cor-poribus, Senec. Quaest. Nat. i. 17) : of which kindthe mirror of Demosthenes must have been.(Quintil. Inst. Or. xi. 3. § 68.) They werefastened to the walls sometimes (speculum parietiaffixum, Dig. 34. tit. 2. s. 19. § 8 ; Vitruv. (9.) p. 280. Bip.), though not generally. Sue-tonius in his life of Horace speaks of an apartmentbelonging to that poet, which was lined withmirrors (speculatum cubiculum), which expression,however, Lessing considers as contrary to the Latinidiom, and therefore regards the whole passage asa forgery. That there were, however, rooms orna-mented in this way, is probable from Claudiansdescription of the chamber of Venus, which wascovered over with mirrors, so that whichever wayher eyes turned she could see her own image.{Hymn, in Nupt. Honor, et Mar. 106, &c.) Wefrequently find the mirror mentioned in connection
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