**First Time At Auction**
Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. An excellent leaded bronze figure of an ithyphallic dwarf figure, likely the Greco-Roman god Priapus - god of fertility and protector of vegetation, livestock, and male genitals - cast using the lost wax (cire perdue) method. The ancient figure is depicted striding forward, as he raises a club in his right hand and holds a discoid shield in his left. Capped by a biconical headdress, his face displays almond-shaped eyes, a flat nose, and a closed mouth framed by a moustache and short beard. His permanently erect phallus extends forth from his muscular body. Size: 1" W x 1.8" H (2.5 cm x 4.6 cm); 2.3" H (5.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Serving as the inspiration for the modern-day garden gnome, statues of Priapus in a pointed hat were commonly placed in the gardens of ancient Greece and Rome, where he served as a guardian of the home and a threat to potential thieves. Furthermore, due to high acclaim throughout the Roman Empire, he inspired "Priapeia" - a collection of 80 (some editions featuring 95) anonymous, obscene Latin poems pertaining to Priapus, thought to date to the 1st century CE or the early 2nd century CE. Priapus' permanent erection gave rise to the medical term priapism.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired 1990s; ex-Gray's Antiques, London, UK
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Condition
Missing proper left foot and part of club. Otherwise, excellent with rich patina.