CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Silvanus, whose name translate to "of the woods," was a native Italic woodland deity and a protector of agricultural fertility. While he never entered the official Roman state-sanctioned religion – he had no dedicated temple, festival or holy day – his immense popularity as a rustic god is confirmed by the number of extant inscriptions invoking him; only Jupiter, Hercules, Fortuna and Mercury eclipse Silvanus in epigraphic terms (see p. 1 in P.F. Dorcey, The Cult of Silvanus: A Study in Roman Folk Religion). Emperor Hadrian used the image of Silvanus to reinforce his passion for hunting and posthumous depictions of his favorite, Antinous, show him in the guise of the god (op. cit., pp. 100-101).

Here, Silvanus stands wearing an animal-skin tied at his right shoulder and draped over his left shoulder and arm. In the crook of his bent arm he cradles grapes and other fruits – symbols of a bountiful harvest. For similar depictions, see nos. 22-32 in Á Nagy, “Silvanus,” LIMC, vol. VII.

This torso, formerly in the possession of The Brummer Gallery, New York, was photographed in 1948 and is preserved in the gallery’s archives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.