Lot 1712 A RED JASPER INTAGLIO WITH A HEAD OF SILVANUS, 1ST CENTURY AD

A small red jasper intaglio showing head of Silvanus, god of the woods. His coarse hair and beard betray his attributes.
9 by 6 mm.

CATALOGUE NOTE
Silvanus was a Roman tutelary deity of woods and uncultivated lands. As protector of the forest (sylvestris deus), 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. The similarly named Etruscan deity Selvans may be a borrowing of Silvanus, or not even related in origin.