Cassilden, O. E. Chalcedony.
Cassis or, rarely, Cassida (perhaps an Etruscan word). A casque or helmet made of metal, and so distinguished from Galea (q.v.), a helmet made of leather. Figs. 141 and 142 represent respectively a Gaulish and an Eastern cassis (the latter, however, is considered by some antiquaries to be Gaulish). The war-casque of the Egyptian kings, although of metal, was covered with a panther’s skin; it was ornamented with the Uræus (q.v.).
Cassock signifies a horseman’s loose coat, and is used in that sense by the writers of the age of Shakspeare. It likewise appears to have been part of the dress of rustics. (Stevens.) It was called a “vest” in the time of Charles II. Later on it became the distinguishing dress of the clergy.
Cassolette, Fr. A perfume box with a perforated lid; the perforations in a censer.
Cassone. An Italian chest, richly carved and gilt, and often decorated with paintings, which frequently held the trousseau of a bride.
Castanets. Various peoples have employed flat pieces of wood to produce a certain kind of noise during religious ceremonies. The Egyptians seem to have had for this purpose “hands” of wood or ivory, which were struck one against the other to form an accompaniment to chants or rhythmic dances. (See Crotala, &c.)
Fig. 143. Cup of Castel Durante (1525), in the Museum of the Louvre.
Castel Durante. An ancient manufactory of Urbino ware, established in the 14th century. Fig. [143], from a cup in the Louvre, is a fine specimen of Castel Durante majolica of the 16th century.
Castellum (dimin. of Castrum, q.v.; i. e. a small castle). A small fortified place or citadel; also a reservoir for water. The ruins of castella still existing are very few in number; one of the most perfect, as far as the basin is concerned, is that of the castellum divisorium or deversorium, at Nismes.