The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Oval Flat Cornelian [ARK00166]
Attached People: Collector (major) - Bargrave, John (1610-1680)Location(s): Current location at - Canterbury Cathedral Library and Archives (Library and/or Archive) -> Canterbury Cathedral (Institution)
Annotation:[Canterbury Catalog: Cornelian (also spelt Carnelian), oval flat. Intaglio depicting youth with hooked implement, probably Silvanus, standing in profile to the right holding a pruming hook; complete with two casts. Silvanus (Latin: "of the woods") was a Roman spirit or deity of woods and fields. As protector of forests, he especially presided over plantations and delighted in trees growing wild. He is also described as a god watching over the fields and husbandmen, protecting in particular the boundaries of fields. Silvanus is described as the divinity protecting the flocks of cattle, warding off wolves, and promoting their fertility.] (approx 1st cent AD)