Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. III, 1949 Christian archaeology Various topics

Deer

CERVO

Italian original Cite

DEER. - The biblical image of Ps. 41, sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, has been rendered in early Christian art by the representation of stags drinking at the spring, as a symbol of souls that run to the fount of life.

It is a subject mostly chosen in baptisteries (Salona, Sens), but it is also found in catacomb paintings (Wilpert, Pitture, pls. CL, 3; CCLXIX), in Christian sarcophagi (Wilpert, Sarcofagi, see index); in the African silver capsella found at 'Ajn Bejdá' and now in the Sacred Museum of the Vatican Library, and even on a medal. Stags were also placed in baptisteries, and from their mouths the water flowed down into the font; mentioned in the Lib. Pont. are the seven silver stags of the Lateran baptistery and the silver stag in the baptistery of the titulus of Vestina. At Carthage the stag is found on Christian lamps of terracotta and on a lead seal.

Bibliography

BIBL.: H. Leclercq, s. v. in DACL, II, coll. 3301-3307.

Enrico Josi

About this entry

By Enrico Josi

How we know signed in print

Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III (1949), col. 1344.

More by Enrico Josi: Chacón (Ciacconius), Alonso · Chapada · Cell · Cherchell · Horse

Cite this article

Chicago

Josi, Enrico. “Cervo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, col. 1344. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/cervo.

MLA

Josi, Enrico. “Cervo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, col. 1344. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/cervo.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec3_cervo,
  author    = {Josi, Enrico},
  title     = {Cervo},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {III},
  pages     = {1344},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1949},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/cervo}
}

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