Sylvanus from The Rural Gods 1565

"Sylvanus" is an engraving by Cornelis Cort, a Dutch printmaker active in Italy during the 16th century. The print, from a series entitled *The Rural Gods*, depicts the Roman god Sylvanus, the guardian of forests and fields. He is depicted as a goat-legged figure, with a laurel wreath and a staff, standing on a rocky terrain. Sylvanus, a lesser-known deity in Roman mythology, was often associated with fertility and the bounty of nature. This detailed and expressive engraving exemplifies Cort's skill in rendering figures and landscapes with a sense of realism.