Carved gem stone, thought to hail from ancient Naples. It depicts the Siren, but not as she is typically represented. Carafa believes the pitcher, that she bears on her head, relates to the Sebeto, a narrow river in Naples, and that the torch, that she holds in her left hand, relates to the volcanos which surround the city.
Featured on PDR in the collection Curiosities from the Museum of Giovanni Carafa (1778)
These fantastic depictions of various Roman antiquities are sourced from Alcuni monumenti del Museo Carrafa (1778), a wonderful catalogue of objects once found in the private museum of 18th-century antiquities collector Giovanni Carafa, the Duke of Noja (now called Noicattaro, a town near Bari in southern Italy ). Born in 1715, Carafa studied grammar and literature but soon developed an interest in scientific subjects, mainly mathematics. Around 1738 he was appointed lecturer of Optics and Mathematics at the University of Naples, and there he continued to explore his interests in the natural sciences, especially geology and mineralogy. He soon began collecting archaeological and numismatic pieces concerning southern Italy and established a small museum (which would become part of the collection of Museo di Capodimonte in…
Also appearing in the collection…
Carved gem stone the Siren, thought to hail from ancient Naples.
Artist
Date
1778
From
Alcuni monumenti del Museo Carrafa
Source
More From
Digital Rights
- No associated rights statement on Internet Archive. However, source confirmed by email no additional rights.
- See their general rights page
- We offer this info as guidance only