Selection of Roman Bronze Phallic Quillons

£ 225.00

A selection of fine Roman bronze quillons, likely belonging to a dagger or knife. They both feature a rounded perforation through the central rectangular section, through which the handle or tang of a dagger or knife would have been threaded. The quillons depict to one side a manus fica and to the other, a phallus, with a rounded terminus.

PRICED INDIVUDALLY

Date: Circa 1st-4th Century AD
Condition: Fine condition. A dark patin and earthly encrustations to the surface. Signs of wear as consistent with age, such as minor surface pitting and scratches.
£ 225.00
Choice of Item A B
Clear selection
SKU: RES-269 Categories: , Tags: , ,

The ‘manus fica’, “fig hand”, was an obscene hand gesture that was thought to represent female genitalia. Romans associated the fig with female fertility and eroticism, as the fruit was sacred to Bacchus. Whether made as an apotropaic gesture, worn as an amulet, or affixed to a larger object, the manus fica was used for magical protection against the evil eye. The pater familias, the head of the family, would make the manus fica sign during the Lemuria festival to ward evil spirits away from the household.

Phallic emblems are found on a wide range of Roman objects, from amulets to frescoes, from mosaics to lamps. Such symbols were a representation of fertility, as well as performing an apotropaic function. The phallic deity was called Fascinus, from the Latin word ‘fascinare’, meaning “to cast a spell”. Charms and amulets shaped as phalluses were worn to invoke the god’s protection against evil spells, and were a common piece of jewellery in ancient Rome. According to Pliny the Elder, charms of this kind were worn even by babies and soldiers.

Weight N/A
Dimensions cm
Region

Southern Europe

Metal

Bronze

Choice of Item

A, B

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