Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0677
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.
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 0677
Roman Phallic Amulet
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Marble Draped Female Torso
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
The upper part of a female torso, carved in marble, wearing a draped robe tied at the waist; flat reverse. 5.3 kg, 29 cm wide
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998.
The figure is wearing a Greek peplos tied at the waist in such a way as to accentuate the breasts. -
Roman Amber Marbled Glass Vase
4th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
A toffee-coloured glass vase of squat carinated form, slender tapering neck with everted rim, decorative white marbling over the body. 47 grams, 85 mm high
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. -
Roman Figure of a Boy in Oriental Dress
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
A bronze figure of a child sitting with one leg extended and the other bent beneath the body, arms raised in supplication; loose fitting trousers and knee-length tunic gathered at the waist, boots on the feet and a separate pointed hood on the head; Scythian or similar costume. 14.6 grams, 61 mm
Private Swiss collection, acquired 2001.
