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LOT 0677

Estimate
GBP (£) 100 - 140
EUR (€) 120 - 160
USD ($) 130 - 190

ROMAN PHALLIC AMULET
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
2 1/8 in. (26.1 grams, 55 mm).

A bronze phallic amulet 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
VETTING:
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AUCTIONS:
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