Roman Bronze Phallic Amulet

3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER

2 1/8 in. (26.1 grams, 55 mm).

Composed of a hollowed truncated conical socket, with a curved arm to each side, one ending in a phallic shape, the other ending with a closed fist.

Provenance

Acquire in the 1990s.
Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.

Literature

Cf. for similar amuler or pendant Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 436.

Footnotes

Roman phallic amulets are represented by many examples preserved in museums and private collections, with a vast variety of types. This specimen belongs to category of double phallus, even if one of the male attributes is here represented as a fist. These amulets were worn as a wish for fertility and virile power, often hung on horses as harness pendants.

CONDITION

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LOT 0686