A small blue faience amulet of the complete male organ, with a loop at the top for suspension or attachment. Used as a fertility and good luck charm, and the ultimate source of protection, phallic emblems are found on a wide range of Roman objects, from amulets to frescoes to mosaics to lamps. As the ancient author Pliny attests, even babies and soldiers wore such charms to inspire divine protection. Medium: Faience Dimensions: Pendant height: 1/2 inch (1 cm). Strung on an 18K yellow god chain adjustable up to 18 inches Condition: The amulet is intact and in very good condition overall. It has been strung as a pendant on an 18K yellow gold chain adjustable up to 18 inches. Provenance: Philip Mitry collection, with original Mitry collection tag, #7896.918. Mitry ran the Anglo-American Bookshop (est. 1869) in Cairo, Egypt from the early 1920s and also dealt antiquities from the shop with an official license (#90) until he left for California in the 1960s, thereafter a private Hollis, Queens, NY collection, then by descent.
