gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, seals, cylinders, Middle Ages, pagan, religion

It is truly astonishing for anyone studying the religious goldsmithing of the Middle Ages to encounter, on the most venerable monuments and in the most visible places, engraved stones depicting mythological subjects and pagan deities—figures as foreign as possible to the objects they serve to adorn. These images were often mistaken for religious representations: this is quite understandable; but in certain cases, the error is impossible—these stones were therefore intentionally set in the places they still occupy today.