FACE-PAINTING IS ANTIQUITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 50

FACE-PAINTING IS ANTIQUITY.

' Faee-paiDting is older than the Deluge. .It began with woman's desire to out- rival Ber sisters in tha act of pleasingthe eyes of' -men, and- legend tells-ug: that it was one of ■ heajren J s angels who first- taught » woman tne

art of face-painting. In seme oasts, however, face-painting was not a mere vanity. It bad ita practical use;, as, for Instance* painting the eyes black, which prevented the blinding light of the sun from Injuring them* Blackening the. eyes Had' the same- effect. as the dark spectacles whioh ara now worn In hot climates; and Alpinists have found that to,bhcken the eyes is~ even more, effectual than dark spectacles . when amid ice and snow. Ancient Indians, Egyptians; Grecians} and ancient Romans are the. people moßt known for thair facs-painting. Paints of all descriptions have been found' in the tombaof Chaldean women of 4000 years before our era. They were used, therefore, almostoontomporarily with, the history of man.

We find paints mentioned very early in Jewish History. Jvb- gave one of! hia daughters a pot of paint. Isaiah condemns the- practice of paiating. among the. women .of his day. Jezebel also comes in for her. ebaro of condemnation for her face-painting ; and Jeremiah is likewise very severe against ■ the custom, which,, however* ha could not prevent. < Iff Greece, thei stibium (to make the eyes large), waa HBed by 3siaerva,.and all those goddesses known as " oxetr-eyed.V In Romej tber custom of. painting, the face- and eyes continued; even- after' the introduction of Christianity, notwithstanding, the jasfca of Pliny and J.u venal,, and the anathema of the 1 early Fathers of the Church, against Pagan . artifice* to deter Christians from, their duty : " Anoint not your eyes, with the devil's.paiut, but with the- blood of (Jurist 1 "

Eys'padntiag'is still more* conrmDn in the East than it is 1 in Earopfc As a vanity, it gives a gazslle- look to the* eyes, and the doctors recommend ife aa a preservative against opbtbalmy; Mahomet makes; eyepainting a part of religion; there mvtst, thereforev be*some:bygienic good- in the practice. Bed and white, paints were much used in

ancient Greece. Homer recommended a certain perfumed essence, to Pouelope to restore^tbe colour to her cheeks. AUaocieat poets refer to faee-piinting. Not all men liked to see their women paint, however, XaDophon, fox* iDstnnce, says, to hifl wife, that he would prefer to see her natural . colours than the artificial ones which sheneed. Grecians used vermilion and oranet to paint their faces red. In ancient Rome the use of red paint was. at fi'rat a religious custom. Ft began by painting the statues of i the gods on certain festivals. Even during Pliny's time the consuls were still entrusted with the care of painting Jupiter's face withvermilion. From gods to men quickly passed, the custom of face-painting in Rome-and throughotit Italy. At first only conquerors, .painted their faces, Id imitation of' the gads. It was only women, however, who .painted their faces both red and white, in< imitation of the rose and lily, so much vaunted by the poets. The white paint of Rjman women was made of a certain earth taken from Chios. They alao used oxide of lead. Under Augustus only patricians painted their faces white, but soon after the custom- • of' painting the face* became general. Men. also painted, mnch to Cicero's- dipgast, who/ calls painted and perfumed men depraved, Women not'only painted their faces white and, red, and tbeir eyes black; they alsopainted tbe veins On their foreheads bluo. False eyebrows were worn, and false teethj were known in ancient Rome; and they curledand waved their hair like-any. fashionable? lady of to day. " A hundred p,aitu. pots cover thy babloj" says a poet, " and thy beauty ia made up of a.hundred lies." "To ses-one of these women when, rising, from her bed," says another, " y.ou would thiDk she was a -monkey." St. G'erolam* compares a painted woman to an idol! "Well,, and'are. not idols wor- ! shipped ?"" women might have answered. The comic poet Alexiß- tells- ns that the |. -women.of his day put heels on their shoes ta make them look taller, .and drooo their hoad

when they want, to, look shorter than they, are. If their bips are flat tbey pad, them to make them larger} if Btous, they wear stiff* basks- in. front; they have maob.ines~to raise: a falling- bust: Hftey paint their, eyes; eyebrows, and skin,, and they laugh' to show; their teeth — when ttiey are- good; "OritonV Book of Oo8metio»" (from 1 komos; beauty) gives- 25- recipes of-oosmrtiofl to soften th&ekin; oolourthelipa, andchaoga the colour. o£ the hair a#< willi In lome ofi these racipe* w», read of mutton anet foxrtha skin, and pumioe. stone for. the- teeth; Other rec'pa&ara too nasty to be. mentioned. Nowonder that- Ovid advises- the. " beauties. " of his. day to. conceal the contents of-, thehr toilet tableifrom their hasbands and friends ,if tbey wished to ■ retain a. particle- of the 'poetry whioh should always, be attached' to thername. of woman.