called
sard on account of its colour, which much resembles that of the flesh
which adheres to the backbone of the dried and salted sardine.
The sard was, and is, much used in works of art, or in engravings. The most celebrated engravers prefer the quality called sandy, which
is of a beautiful colour, but sprinkled with small opaque spots of a
darker shade. At the present day it has become precious from its rarity.
The
most beautiful intagli known on sard are, Mars and Venus surprised by
the gods, a group of nine figures, attributed to Vincenzo Belli, of
Vicenza, and which belonged to the Orleans collection ; ami the
nuptials of Cupid and Psyche, cut by Trifone, and mentioned by Stosch,
who saw this engraved gem in London.
LXXXVIII.
SARD-AGATE.
This is a sard which has an upper stratum of white agate, and is perfectly similar to the onyx in appearance.
Caire
and other authors thought they could substitute for the ancient name
that of agate carnelian ; but it does not exactly express the nature of
the stone, and therefore the other remains.
The finest specimens have one stratum in sard and the other in white agate. The scarceness of the best kind makes them valuable.
