Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Penicillum

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. 

PENICIL'LUM or -US (probably ῥαβδίον. Clearch. ap. Athen. xv. 35.) A painter's brush or pencil for laying on the colour (Cic. Or. 22. Quint. ii. 21. 24.); some of which were made of hair (Plin. H. N. xxviii. 71.), and others of the long pointed fibres of a sponge (Plin. H. N. ix. 69.) The illustration (Penicillum/1.1) represents part of a female figure in a Roman bas-relief, presenting a paint-brush to M. Varro, in allusion to one of his works, which he illustrated with the portraits of celebrated men. The true meaning of the Greek word bracketted as synonymous admits of doubt, and has received various interpretations; but, as it is applied to Parrhasius in a paragraph treating of the effects of colour, which even in some of the encaustic processes was laid on in a liquid state with a brush (see ENCAUSTICA), it is highly probable that the right meaning is alleged.

• 
  Penicillum/1.1