Global InformationSchaffhausen onyx information
The Schaffhausen onyx is an ancient cameo, one of the most important Augustan-era hardstone carvings and now one of the highlights on display in the Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.[1] In the 13th century, the cameo was given an ornate gold and silver setting as well as a medallion on the reverse.[2]
The oval, engraved 9.5 by 8 cm (3.7 by 3.1 in) high relief depicts a goddess, either Pax Augusta or perhaps Felicitas, standing barefoot and leaning against a plinth with a cornucopia in her left arm and a caduceus in her right. Pax Augusta symbolizes peace in the Roman Empire, while Felicitas embodies luck and prosperity. She wears a jewel around her neck and a wreath of laurel and oak leaves on her head. In Roman religious symbolism, these insignia stand for victory and the saving of citizens' lives (see corona civica).
The whole stone piece, measuring 15.5 by 13 cm (6.1 by 5.1 in), is now dated to the first half of the 1st century CE, while the setting is thought to have been made around 1240.[3] It is carved from layered sardonyx, a variety of quartz. The relief image has been carved from three differently coloured layers (dark-light-dark). The blue and brown onyx was probably originally worn as a brooch. Traces of fittings for this can be seen on the back of the gemstone.[4]
It has the museum inventory number 16375 and is located in the middle of the Kreuzsaal on the 2nd floor of the north wing. Before a renovation of the permanent collection in 2010, it was displayed in the "Treasure Chamber" of Michaelskapelle in the choir area.[5]
- ^ Mittelalterliche Reichsgeschichte im Glanz kostbarster Exponate. Ausstellungsexzerpt der Ausstellung „Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation 962 bis 1806. Teil 1: Von Otto dem Großen bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters.“ at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-05-13) Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, page 287.
- ^ Lize Braat; Giorgia Passaro, eds. (2015). Strasbourg 1200–1230, La révolution gothique. Strasbourg. p. 294. ISBN 978-2-35125-137-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Martina Junghans (2006). "Onyx von Schaffhausen". In Matthias Puhle; Claus-Peter Hasse (eds.). Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation 962-1806. Von Otto dem Großen bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters. Dresden. p. 287. ISBN 3-937602-59-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Kettlerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Walter Ulrich Guyan (1982). Rundgang durch das Museum zu Allerheiligen. Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen. pp. 55, 57. ISBN 7-100-10361-4.