| 中文版 English

具体要求

其它要求

-
关闭
A RARE DARK GREEN STONE MAUL IN THE FORM OF A PHALLUS, POSSIBLY ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA
奥地利
12月16日 晚上6点 开拍 /6天17小时
拍品描述

Description

A RARE DARK GREEN STONE MAUL IN THE FORM OF A PHALLUS, POSSIBLY ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA

Well-carved, the slender shaft extends into a pair of oval testicles, terminating in a conical tip with a pair of guard-like projections extending laterally. The finely polished, opaque stone of varying shades of dark green, accented with dark spots and white inclusions.

Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum, acquired in Pakistan during a diplomatic mission. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Very good condition with surface wear, natural age-related imperfections, including small fissures, and light traces of weathering. Few small nicks, faint surface scratches, and occasional minor chips. The tip of the maul with signs of abrasion and light flattening.

Weight: 265.7 g
Dimensions: Height 14.6 cm

Phallic objects carved from stone, or cast from metal or terracotta, are common subjects of any major ancient culture. Throughout time, the phallus was seen as an emblem of life and procreation. Not only did it have the power to induce fertility, but it also had an equally important role as an auspicious emblem which would ward off diseases. The usual practice of castration and the employment of court eunuchs added a secondary role of model phalli: the restoration of manhood after death (court eunuchs would be buried with their detached genitalia). However, this multifaceted subject remains somewhat of a taboo, which has contributed to relatively scarce publications about ancient erotic sculpture.

Expert’s note: The dimensions of the present phallic object, proportionate to the human hand, together with the notched glans and bulbous testicular forms facilitating a secure and comfortable grip, indicate that it may have functioned as a utilitarian implement. The worn and flattened tip further attests to its probable use as a stylus for incising or marking signs on the ground or on soft materials in the course of ritual activities. Within such contexts, the act of marking or even striking the earth may have carried symbolic significance, serving to invoke spirits or to consecrate and fertilize the soil, in accordance with the sexualized connotations inherent in its phallic form.

本场其它拍品

  • 竞价阶梯
  • 快递物流
  • 拍卖规则
  • 支付方式
竞价区间 加价幅度
0
10
50
50
600
100
1,600
200
4,000
500
8,000
1,000
16,000
2,000
40,000
5,000
80,000
10,000
160,000
20,000
+

委托价 (已有0次出价)

欧元

价格信息

拍品估价:700 - 1,400 欧元 起拍价格:700 欧元  买家佣金: 30.00%

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
向卖家提问