Roman The 'Waldingfield' Winged Phallic Mount
1st-2nd century AD. A finely detailed winged or possibly horned bronze phallic mount, projecting towards the viewer, with engraved detail of hair around the scrotum and pubis; the flat reverse with two pierced lugs for mounting; accompanied by a copy of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service Finds Report dated November 1998 which states: 'Phallic bronze mount on a crescentic base. Rom 2 pierced lugs for attachment at rear (on D [ ] crescent arms"). Solid cast, flat slightly irregular back. Well modelled erect phallus & testicles. Background circular area in the centre of the crescent is slightly raised & stippled with punched dots; incised lines + hatching form a border. The 'arms' of the crescent are triangular in section & plain - these are probably meant to be the horns of a bull. Phallic ornaments are a fairly common good luck / virility symbol, the association with bulls is common - adding extra male strength to the symbolism - and they are often but not exclusively associated with the Roman army'. See Colonel Fanin, The Royal Museum at Naples, Being Some Account of The Erotic Paintings, Bronzes, and Statues Contained in That Famous 'Cabinet of Secret', London, 1871; also, Hammond, Brett, Benet's Artefacts of England: Roman Edition, Essex, 2016, pp.254-255 and Johns, Catherine, Sex or Symbol, BM, London, 1989 for discussion and other examples. Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol.XXXIX, pt.3, p.357, fig.94(I) and p.362 (this piece), accompanied by a copy of the relevant pages including drawings and text. 70 grams, 43mm across backplate. (1 3/4"). Found near Sudbury, Suffolk, UK, in 1998; accompanied by a copy of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service Finds Report dated November 1998.
Condition Report: Very fine condition. Extremely rare.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
1st-2nd century AD. A finely detailed winged or possibly horned bronze phallic mount, projecting towards the viewer, with engraved detail of hair around the scrotum and pubis; the flat reverse with two pierced lugs for mounting; accompanied by a copy of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service Finds Report dated November 1998 which states: 'Phallic bronze mount on a crescentic base. Rom 2 pierced lugs for attachment at rear (on D [ ] crescent arms"). Solid cast, flat slightly irregular back. Well modelled erect phallus & testicles. Background circular area in the centre of the crescent is slightly raised & stippled with punched dots; incised lines + hatching form a border. The 'arms' of the crescent are triangular in section & plain - these are probably meant to be the horns of a bull. Phallic ornaments are a fairly common good luck / virility symbol, the association with bulls is common - adding extra male strength to the symbolism - and they are often but not exclusively associated with the Roman army'. See Colonel Fanin, The Royal Museum at Naples, Being Some Account of The Erotic Paintings, Bronzes, and Statues Contained in That Famous 'Cabinet of Secret', London, 1871; also, Hammond, Brett, Benet's Artefacts of England: Roman Edition, Essex, 2016, pp.254-255 and Johns, Catherine, Sex or Symbol, BM, London, 1989 for discussion and other examples. Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol.XXXIX, pt.3, p.357, fig.94(I) and p.362 (this piece), accompanied by a copy of the relevant pages including drawings and text. 70 grams, 43mm across backplate. (1 3/4"). Found near Sudbury, Suffolk, UK, in 1998; accompanied by a copy of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service Finds Report dated November 1998.
Condition Report: Very fine condition. Extremely rare.
