Description:

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A mold-formed pottery phallus pendant, of a short form with a wide base, a tapered body, and a hemispherical tip. The orange-slipped pendant is accentuated with a pair of incised striations that delineate the shaft from the head, and a curved iron suspension ring is situated through the midsection. Phalluses are prevalent Roman symbols evocative of virility and fertility and, when depicted disembodied like this example, were used as what Pliny wrote of as a "medicus invidiae" to ward against the evil eye. Size: 5" L x 2.25" W (12.7 cm x 5.7 cm).

Provenance: private Keller collection, Alabama, USA; ex-private Toro collection, Spain, acquired in the 1940s

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#148804

  • Condition: Small nicks to base, shaft, and head, with slight bending to overall form of iron suspension ring, light abrasions and fading to original slip pigment, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout, and nice patina on iron ring.

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September 5, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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