Priapus. Rome, 1st century AD. Marble. Measurements:... Lot 26

Priapus. Rome, 1st century AD. Marble. Measurements: 9 x 5 cm. This sculpture entirely made in marble represents Priapus, a minor rustic divinity of fertility, both of vegetation and animals, understood as a purely phallic character. He was usually represented as an enormous phallus in perpetual erection, a symbol of the fertilising force of nature. In addition to ensuring the fertility of the fields, Priapus or his representation as a phallus, in the form of an amulet, warded off the evil eye and protected against thieves.