14 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4PP - Email: info@rupertwace.co.uk
< Back
| Bronze Priapus |  |
|
Standing with his left leg slightly advanced, his torso is wrapped around with a short cloak that falls in folds revealing his large erect phallus. His well-modelled head, turned to his left with the gaze directed downward, has rounded cheeks and a snub nose with deep creases either side of his open mouth, whilst his beard falls in long locks over his chest. A wreath of leaves crowns his head above the protuberant ears. Roman. 1st-2nd century AD Height: 6.7 cm Cf. M. Comstock & C. Vermeule, 'Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston', 1971, fig. 141 shows a similarly draped figure, tentatively referred to as 'a bearded man, perhaps an actor'... 'The oversized phallus either makes this figure a grotesque or else it must be thought of as a piece of theatre equipment, akin to the representation on Phlyax vases of the fourth century BC' |
|
Rupert Wace Ancient Art
14 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4PP - Email: info@rupertwace.co.uk |
|
