Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Lanx

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

LANX. A large circular dish, made of silver or other metals, and often richly embossed; particularly employed at great entertainments (Cic. Att. vi. 1. Pet. Sat. xxviii. 8. Id. xxxi. 10.) for holding meat or fruit; and at the sacrifice. (Virg. Georg. ii. 194.) The example (Lanx/1.1) is copied from one twelve figures, representing slaves bringing in various dishes at an entertainment, in a set of ancient fresco paintings discovered near the church of St. John of Lateran at Rome. It exhibits a boar brought whole to table in one of these dishes, precisely as mentioned by Horace (Sat. ii. 4. 41.) in a passage which would scarcely obtain belief, were it not confirmed by some other authority, such as that here produced.

2. Lanx quadrata (πίναξ). A square trencher, or platter, originally of wood, but subsequently of more costly materials; used as a plate to eat from, or as a salver for bringing fruit and other eatables to table; as shown by the annexed example (Lanx/2.1), from a mutilated Pompeian painting, which represents a slave bringing in a basket of fruit upon a square trencher to a party of three persons reclining at table, supposed to be intended for Scipio, Sophonisba, and Masinissa. Hom. Od. i. 141. xvi. 49. Aristoph. Plut. 990. Ulp. Dig. 34. 2. 20. Paul. ib. 6. 1. 6.

3. (τάλαντον, πλάστιγξ). The dish or scale of a balance (libra); so termed from its shallow circular form, which resembles that of the dish represented in the first illustration to this article. The annexed example (Lanx/3.1) exhibits a balance with the scales or lances suspended by chains, from an original found at Pompeii. Cic. Acad. iv. 12. Id. Tusc. v. 17. Pers. iv. 10.

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  Lanx/1.1
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  Lanx/2.1
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  Lanx/3.1