Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 253958
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (11.4 grams, 32 mm).
Modelled in the round with applied red-glass collar, pierced through the shaft for suspension.
Provenance
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Literature
See Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 425, for type, but in bronze; for a similar ceramic phallus-amulet see Devlova, P., Manova, R., Rangelov, B., Avdeev, G., ‘Interdisciplinary Studies of a phallus-shaped jewellery from Apollonia Pontica, Bulgaria,’ in Acta Musei Tiberiopolitani, vol.5, Strumica,2024, pp.98-109, fig.2.
Footnotes
In the Roman World the phallus was the symbol of luck or fertility, and it was believed as well to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially by young children, according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is also commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 253958
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£200 (EUR 232; USD 270) ‡+BP*
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Modelled in the round with applied red-glass collar, pierced through the shaft for suspension. 11.4 grams, 32 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
In the Roman World the phallus was the symbol of luck or fertility, and it was believed as well to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially by young children, according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is also commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. -
Roman Terracotta Wine Jug
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a biconvex body with applied basal ring, tubular neck with carinated rim, ribbed strap handle to the rear. 196 grams, 12.6 cm
From the collection of the late Bernard C. Pickard, Hampshire, UK, the owner of Bernard C. Pickard Antiquities, which closed in 1987, he had been collecting since the mid 1950s.
Bernard Pickard was a close friend of Richard Hattatt, the renowned author of several books on ancient brooches. Hattatt acknowledges in his first book, Ancient & Romano-British Brooches, published in 1982, that Mr Pickard first aroused his interest in brooches and inspired him in writing his books during his retirement. Mr Pickard also wrote the foreword to the section on Roman animal brooches, op. cit. p.158-160. -
Romano-Celtic Bronze Statuette of the God Mercury
2nd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Modelled nude and standing on a pedestal, holding a caduceus in his outstretched left hand and wearing a winged hat. 53.7 grams, 88 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
