A ROMAN ROCK CRYSTAL PHALLUS AMULET, CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

拍品描述

A ROMAN ROCK CRYSTAL PHALLUS AMULET, CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. Carved from a single piece of clear rock crystal, the amulet is naturalistically modelled as a phallus and testicles, the shaft rising vertically with a pronounced glans and the scrotum forming a rounded lobe at the base. The surface is highly polished throughout, retaining the glassy translucency characteristic of worked quartz, with faint internal inclusions and a warm golden cast catching the light. A small perforation pierces the upper terminal for suspension, and minor losses are visible at the base where the stone has chipped along a natural fault. The fascinum, or phallic amulet, was among the most widespread apotropaic devices in the Roman world. Worn as a pendant, mounted on rings, suspended from children's necks as a bulla, or set above doorways and on military standards, the image of the erect phallus was believed to deflect the evil eye (invidia) by drawing its malevolent gaze and dissipating it through laughter or astonishment. Pliny the Elder records the practice explicitly, noting that the fascinum was hung about the necks of infants and triumphant generals alike as a guardian against envy. The form was understood not as obscene but as protective, its potency derived from the generative force it represented. The choice of rock crystal elevates this example above the more common bronze, bone, and coral specimens that survive in quantity. Quartz crystal was prized in the Roman world for its perceived affinity with water and ice, and pliny describes it as petrified frost drawn from the highest mountains. Working the stone required considerable skill, as the material resists carving and shatters readily under careless pressure, and finished crystal objects were associated with luxury production for elite patrons. The translucency of the medium would have given the amulet a particular visual character when worn against the skin or held to the light, the form clarified by its own transparency. This amulet exemplifies the meeting of popular apotropaic belief and luxury lapidary craft in the early Imperial period. While the fascinum is a familiar type across all levels of Roman society, its execution in rock crystal places this example within the small group of phallic amulets commissioned in precious materials, where protective function and material prestige are combined in a single small object. Height: 7.8cm

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