This is not an isolated case . Therefore, we must consider it in every case .
There are many variables that we must keep in mind: internet connection speed, image size, computer capabilities, etc.
I found several questions about SO that are somewhat relevant to this question. I will include them as I find it useful. I DO NOT declare that I am absolutely right.
Performance argument
AFAIK, browser cache images are the same regardless of whether they are in a DIV or IMG. In any case, I think this is one of those cases where specific performance is defined as an implementation detail, internal to each (and, possibly, browsers built around them). In the form such that it is not controlled by us as developers / developers and the subject for the transition from browser to browser and version to version. In other words, I would not spend too much time worrying about it.
Context
Technical differences Yes, first of all you can set the width / height of the IMG tag and it will stretch the image, which may be useful in some situations.
The main thing you should keep in mind, but this is the image context in the HTML document. If the image is content, tell the image in the gallery I would use the IMG tag. If this is only part of the interface, I can use the div instead. - According to Paul
And the answer is just as important.
However, you bring up an excellent point about semantic difference: IMG is usually the best choice when the image is the material part of the content of the page, while the CSS technique is usually preferable when the image is just decorative or for formatting.
This is not directly related to performance - more about semantics and accessibility. Poe - Mr. W.
Then another one for Performance OFF of SO, which I feel is directly related to your question.
The version with background images actually gave me a “Document Complete” after 0.0225 seconds - while the fully loaded page load time was about the same as the version of the embedded image. Can all background images be used to speed up the launch of $ .document (done)? It turns out the background images are loaded only after the element (containing div, span, etc.). This prevents the blocking of all rounds of the trip necessary to obtain images.
Results: embedded image test page

results: background image test page
