Plate Liv. Group Of Animals : Plate LIV. p. 106 GROUP OF ANIMALS. MOSAIC. PLATE LIV. A PRIAPUS-HERMES, in the form of a cock, is receiving the worship of three birds--a turkey-cock, a goose, and a duck. The artist's idea is not difficult to understand; it proceeds from the principle that everything in nature does homage...
Plate Xix. Two Mimic Buffoons : Plate XIX. p. 42 TWO MIMIC BUFFOONS. BRONZE. Height about 2 6/25 inches. PLATE XIX.--No. 1. GOOD in execution, this little bronze represents one of those buffoons whom the Latins called "sanniones". Their occupation was to create laughter with the aid of pantomime. The present one is entirely nude...
Plate Xlvi. Spinthria : Plate XLVI. p. 91 SPINTHRIA. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLVI. IT must be admitted, this highly obscene painting would not be unworthy of the infamous collections of Aretine. None of the supposed refinements of pleasure were unknown to the ancients. Here, for instance, may be seen two amorous...
Plate Xxxiv. Venus On Her Shell Conch : Plate XXXIV. p. 69 VENUS ON HER SHELL CONCH PLATE XXXIV. THIS graceful painting would not have dishonoured the pencil of Titian. The Queen of Love is reclining on a sea-shell; Cupid and a dolphin are her attendants. A pure and limpid stream cradles her softly on its surface, and her scarf, swollen...
Plate Lv. Pan And Syrinx : Plate LV. p. 109 PAN AND SYRINX. MOSAIC FROM THE MUSEUM OF NOJA. "Height, 13 8/25 inches". PLATE LV. THIS mosaic, in which is retraced the adventure of Pan and Syrinx, is unquestionably one of the finest pieces of the secret cabinet of the Museum of Naples, We have already had occasion to say th...
Plate Lix. Bell Shaped Vase : Plate LIX p. 120 BELL-SHAPED VASE. PLATE LIX. IN both sides of this campana may be seen male and female Bacchants offering crowns and garlands to Priapus. It is easy here to recognise the hierophant, the Bacchus, the priest entrusted with the ablutions, and the female Bacchants. The figures are...
Plate Vii. Bacchanalia : Plate VII. p. 15 BACCHANALIA BAS-RELIEF IN MARBLE, PLATE VII. ONE of the most celebrated pagan festivals, known by the name of Bacchanalia--and sometimes disguised with slight modifications, under the appellations of Eleusinia, Dionysia, Lampteria mysteries of Isis, of the Cabeiri, of Mithr...
Plate Xxvii. Votive Phallus : Plate XXVII. p. 55 VOTIVE PHALLUS. BRONZE FROM HERCULANEUM. Length, 3 9/25 inches. PLATE XXVII. HE hinder part of this bronze is somewhat like a horse. The wings are typical of the rapidity of fecundation. This novel Pegasus has three phalluses, one of which occupies the ordinary place assigned...
Plate Xxi. Three Bronze Figures : Plate XXI. p. 45 THREE BRONZE FIGURES. Of the original size. PLATE XXI. SEVERAL phalluses are suspended to a necklace round the neck of the first figure--a charming little bust of a woman. We have already said that among the Egyptians, and in Greece and Italy, the gravest matrons did not blush...
Plate Xxxvi. Mercury And Yphtima : Plate XXXVI. p. 74 MERCURY AND YPHTIMA. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XXXVI. YPHTIMA, the nymph, had offended the gods; Mercury, being commissioned to conduct her to Hades, led her to a solitary place and ravished her. Such appears to be the subject of this painting. The drawing is incorrect...
Plate Xxxii. The Faun's Kiss : Plate XXXII. p. 66 THE FAUN'S KISS. FRESCO FROM HERCULANEUM. Height, 18 2/25 inches; breadth, 21 10/25 inches. PLATE XXXII. THE objects of art discovered in the excavations of Herculaneum are, as a rule, far superior in execution to those found at Pompeii. The delightful painting, reproduced...
Plate. X. Two Little Votive Columns : Plate 10. p. 24 TWO LITTLE VOTIVE COLUMNS No. 1.--"Height, 22 5/25 inches". NO. 2.--Height, 26 15/25 inches. PLATE X. THESE votive columns, in the form of a phallus--strange monuments of a shameful worship--each bear an inscription in the Uscan language and character. The Uscans were a people...
Plate I. The Satyr And The Goat : Plate I. p. 1 THE SATYR AND THE GOAT PARIAN MARBLE. "Height about 2 feet". PLATE I. THIS group, found among the excavations at Herculaneum, is more remarkable for the expression which gives life to the marble than for the purity of the execution. It might especially be wished that the goat were...
Plate Xlviii. Spinthria : Plate XLVIII. p. 94 SPINTHRIA. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLVIII. A YOUNG and beautiful married couple are amorously toying on a small bed. A lighted lamp shows that the scene takes place at night-time. As in the previous picture, the young man is carelessly stretched on his back, while his...
Plate Xxv. Phallic Lamps : Plate XXV. p. 53 VOTIVE PHALLI. PLATE XXV. No. 1. A TWO-FOOTED phallus, having itself a second phallus and two wings, or fins, is represented by this lamp. A little child, wearing a kind of Phrygian cap, which served to suspend the lamp, is seated astride on this singular Priapus, and leans...
Plate Xvi. Votive Figure : Plate XVI. p. 35 VOTIVE FIGURE BRONZE. "Of the size of the original". PLATE XVI. AN old man, whose left hand is enveloped in the chlamys, after the manner of athletes, pours on his phallus the liquor contained in a vase of elegant form. Here, as perhaps in the preceding plate, the allegorical...
Plate V. The God Pan On A Mule : Plate V. p. 10 THE GOD PAN ON A MULE BAS-RELIEF OF MARBLE. "Height, 8 inches; width, 18 inches". PLATE V. IN this bas-relief the god Pan is mounted on a mule, of which the covering is made of a leopard's skin. A little bell is suspended to the animal's neck, which proves this custom, still kept up...
Plate Ix. The Phalluses In Stone : Plate IX. p. 22 THE PHALLUSES IN STONE No. 1.--FIRST PHALLUS. "Height 17 5/25 inches". PLATE IX IN certain towns, the corners of streets and the railings of public fountains may still be seen embellished with posts the form of which scarcely differs, except in the base, from the one here given...
Plate Xxx. The Surprised Nymph : Plate XXX p. 60 THE SURPRISED NYMPH. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XXX A YOUNG girl, bearing a thyrsus, or rather a kind of crook, which would seem to indicate a shepherdess, is sheltering herself at the foot of the statue of Minerva in order to escape from the pursuit of her lover: a symbol...
Plate Xxii. A Votive Phallus : Plate XXII. p. 48 A VOTIVE PHALLUS. Of the size of the original. PLATE XXII. ONE of these symbolical figures to which the ancients ascribed the property of keeping off evil is shown here. They suspended them at the, entrance of shops, under the peristyles of houses, in bedrooms, ...
Plate Liii. Spinthria : Plate LIII. p. 105 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE LIII. THE subject of this fresco is as ridiculous as the drawing is incorrect. How could a man, whom it is not possible to confound with a rural divinity, be thus in the open fields, in a complete state of nudity? or would he have dreamt...
Plate Xliii. A Faun And Bacchante : Plate XLIII. p. 86 A FAUN AND BACCHANTE FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLIII. A FAUN is engaged in contest with a nymph. The originality of the poses is not less remarkable than the purity of the drawing. An amorous encounter has sprung up between the god and the nymph: the former slips and falls, but...
Plate Xxix. Bronze Amulets : Plate XXIX p. 57 BRONZE AMULETS. PLATE XXIX THESE three phalluses in bronze are so many amulets which the ancients were accustomed to wear: the men in order to keep away sorceries, the women for the same object, and also in order that they might become fruitful when they wished. Some of these...
Plate Xviii. The Tripod : Plate XVIII p. 40 THE TRIPOD. BRONZE. Height, 46 7/25 inches. PLATE XVIII. HIS wonderful tripod was found in a votive chapel at Herculaneum. The gracefully-formed corbel is supported by three exquisitely-finished figures: satyrs with their members erect. They are resting their right hands on their...
Plate Xiv. Dancer To The Crotalum : PLATE XIV. p. 30 DANCER TO THE CROTALUM BRONZE. "Height, 10 20/25 inches". PLATE XIV. WE have spoken in the explanation of Plate XI. of the moriones, or fatui, of whom this dancer in bronze is one. He is entirely naked, the girdle round his loins being, altogether insufficient to conceal his...
Plate Lviii. Bell Shaped Vase : Plate LVIII p. 119 BELL-SHAPED VASE. PLATE LVIII. THIS vase is of the kind which the Neapolitans call "campana", on account of their shape, which has some resemblance to a bell. On one side is represented a scene of the Dionysia or Bacchanalia. Three men are taking part in them, each furnished with...
Plate Viii. Sacrifice To Priapus : Plate VIII. p. 20 SACRIFICE TO PRIAPUS Height, 12 5/25 inches; length, 27 20/25 inches. PLATE VIII. IN this bas-relief is represented one of the most disgraceful ceremonies of Paganism. Several women are conducting a young girl, whom we may suppose to be newly married, to a Statue of Priapus...
Plate Xxiii. Phallus Hermes : Plate XXIII. p. 49 PHALLUS-HERMES. Height, 5 inches. PLATE XXIII. THIS bronze seems to have been used as a lamp. A Hermes, with the petasus on his head, in a threatening attitude and with clenched fists, seems animated by a violent passion of anger or concupiscence. His tunic is raised by a phallus...
Plate Xxiv. Votive Phallus : Plate XXIV. p. 50 VOTIVE PHALLUS. Height about 5 inches. PLATE XXIV. THIS curious bronze, from the Borgia museum, represents a votive phallus under the form of a winged lion, bearing two other phalluses, of which one, serves as a tail. The hind part is terminated by two feet, one of which is lifted...
Plate Iii. Venus Callipyge : Plate III. p. 5 VENUS CALLIPYGE (From Κάλλο πυγ and the commisseration his state of mind inspired set aside all idea of ridicule. It is impossible, indeed, to imagine anything more graceful than the Venus here spoken of. The power of beauty is recognized...
Plate Xx. Two Idols : Plate XX. p. 44 TWO IDOLS BRONZE. PLATE XX No. 1 is a little Hermes bearing the chlamys, the pedum, or pastoral hook the "pedum", and the "rhyton", the horn of an animal, which the ancients used to drink out of. Athenus 1 speaks of these horns, and also adds that wooden ones were made. No. 2 is...
Plate Ii. Marsyas And Olympus : Plate II. p. 3 MARSYAS AND OLYMPUS Life-size. PLATE II. MARSYAS, the Satyr, the inventor, according to several mythologists, of the pastoral flute, is represented in this group, one of the masterpieces of antiquity, at the instant when, while giving lessons on that instrument to young Olympus, he...
Plate. Xi. Drillopota : PLATE XI p. 26 DRILLOPOTA. TERRA COTTA. "Height 11 5/25 inches". PLATE XI. THIS grotesque little figure was found at Civita. 1 It represents one of those unfortunate beings whose only purpose in life seems to be as a kind of plaything to their fellow-creatures. What have they done to deserve...
Untitled : The ancient Roman and Greek cultures had a very different attitude about sexuality than successive European cultures, more akin to that of the Kama Sutra. This, of course, was unimaginable to latter day Europeans, who rigidly compartmentalized body, mind and spirit, and to whom any sexuality w...
Plate Xlix. Apollo And A Nymph : Plate XLIX. p. 97 APOLLO AND A NYMPH FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLIX. IT is easy to recognise Apollo in the principal personage of this painting; but it would be difficult to assign a name to the young woman whom he is preparing to enjoy. It cannot be Daphne, for the god already wears a crown...
Plate Xxvi. Votive Phalli : Plate XXVI. p. 54 VOTIVE PHALLI. BRONZES FROM HERCULANEUM. PLATE XXVI. No. 1. DOUBLE phallus in bronze, with two wings, and two small bells suspended by little chains. No. 2. Another phallus in bronze, winged, and ornamented with three small bells. The interpretation of these bronzes may be sought...
Plate Xxxiii. A Satyr And A Bacchante : Plate XXXIII. p. 68 A SATYR AND A BACCHANTE. FRESCO FROM HERCULANEUM. Height, 24 inches; width, 21 15/25 inches. PLATE XXXIII. A BACCHANT crowned with ivy has chosen a solitary place to rest herself; but the tambour which we see near her seems to indicate that she wished her retreat to be no secret...
Plate Lx. Langelle Vase : Plate LX. p. 122 LANGELLE VASE. PLATE LX AND LAST. THIS graceful langelle represents one of the most extraordinary of the gymnastic games known to the ancients. On one side may be seen two athletes armed with a kind of axe; on the other side the hoop has been substituted for the axe...
Plate Xl. An Hermaphrodite : Plate XL. p. 82 AN HERMAPHRODITE. Height, 49 inches. Width 32 10/25 inches. PLATE XL. THIS figure represents an hermaphrodite full of grace, youth, and beauty. We have given some particulars respecting these fabulous beings in the Introduction to this work; and we have also explained why the leaf...
Plate Xliv. Spinthria : Plate XLIV. p. 87 SPINTHRIA. Width, 18 22/25 inches. PLATE XLIV. THIS fresco, found at Pompeii, is unquestionably, as regards merit of execution, one of the most remarkable of them all. We stated in our Introduction that obscene paintings entered at Rome into the domain of second-rate painters; but...
Plate Lii. Spinthria : Plate LII. p. 103 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE LII. THIS erotic scene is remarkable for the presence of the cubicular slave, a beautiful youth, who brings to the married pair a drinking-vessel, probably containing a comforting liquor, 1 turning his head aside as he presents it to them...
Plate Xvii. The Hermes In Bronze : Plate XVII. p. 38 THE HERMES IN BRONZE. Of the size of the originals. PLATE XVII. FIGURE No. 1 represents the bust of a bearded Pan placed on a Hermes. In the centre of the latter is the Priapian sign. The head and the phallus are in bronze. No. 2 is a grotesque figure, representing the same god...
Plate Xxxix. Spinthria : Plate XXXIX. p. 80 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XXXIX. THIS erotic painting undoubtedly represents a bridal night. The young bride still wears her virgin's zone, and, according to the custom of the period, the husband will have to remove it after the consummation of the first sacrifice...
Plate Vi. Invocation To Priapus : Plate VI. p. 14 INVOCATION TO PRIAPUS BAS-RELIEF IN MARBLE. PLATE VI. EVERYTHING in this bas-relief indicates an interior scene, an act of candour and piety, and not a disgusting orgy. The a married pair, clad as decently as the nature of the sacrifice to which they are about to proceed will allow...
Plate Xiii. Drillopota : PLATE XIII p. 29 DRILLOPOTA. TERRA COTTA. "Height, 16 16/25 inches". PLATE XIII. LIKE the former, this is another specimen of the "drillopot", representing a dwarf, a child's body with the head of an old man. Its figure is as much out of proportion as its attitude is obscene and yet its gestures...
Plate L. Aeneas And Dido : Plate L. p. 98 AENEAS AND DIDO. FRESCO FROM HERCULANEUM. "Height, 14 23/25 inches, breadth, 29 6/25 inches". PLATE L. THIS fresco was one of the earlier discoveries, and was published by the Academicians of Herculaneum, and by Sylvain Marchal, who considered the subject to represent Bacchus...
Plate Xlvii. Spinthria : Plate XLVII. p. 93 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLVII. THIS painting is almost a repetition of the preceding one. A young girl, seated astride over her lover, is again playing the chief part. The cubicular slave, on the point of withdrawing from the mysterious chamber, turns round and casts...
Plate Xxxv. Spinthria : Plate XXXV. p. 71 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XXXV. TWO rope-dancers, a man and a woman, are indulging themselves while in a state of perfect equilibrium. In this singular painting we have before us one of those scenes of orgy which were the delight of Nero and Tiberius. The actors in it...
Plate Xxxi. The Flight Of Aeneas : Plate XXXI. p. 62 THE FLIGHT OF AENEAS. Height, 10 inches; breadth, 12 inches. PLATE XXXI. THIS fresco was discovered at Gragnano in 1760, and represents in caricature the flight of neas. The ancients were fond of such grotesque representations, which they called "cercopitheci" (long-tailed...
Plate Xlii. A Satyr And Hermaphrodite : Plate XLII. p. 84 A SATYR AND HERMAPHRODITE. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XLII. A SATYR has surprised a nymph asleep in a solitary place. He prepares to violate her, and already having lifted up the veil that envelops her, he casts a profane look on her most secret charms; but imagine his confusi...
Plate Li. Spinthria : Plate LI. p. 100 SPINTHRIA. FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE LI. ON a bed, of a shape equally simple and elegant, two young lovers are abandoning themselves to an amorous combat. The lamp which is flickering near them sufficiently shows that the painter has rashly betrayed one of those mysteries th...
Introduction : p. xi INTRODUCTION. The pious Emperor Theodosius abstained from destroying the not very decent statues and other relics of the heathen, in order to perpetuate and expose all the absurdity and infamy of false religions, and to inspire contempt and hatred of them."--"Sylvain Mareschal"...
Plate Xii. Drillopota : PLATE XII p. 28 DRILLOPOTA. TERRA COTTA. "Height, 16 5/25 inches". PLATE XII. BEHIND this figure is seen a vessel, which represents one of those obscene vases called "Drillopot", 1 out of which the ancients were wont to drink on certain occasions, undoubtedly in honour of Venus, or perhaps...
Plate Xxxviii. Spinthria : Plate XXXVIII. p. 72 SPINTHRIA FRESCO FROM POMPEII. PLATE XXXVIII. THIS fresco was discovered in 1826, at Pompeii. It is supposed that the house where it was found was one of those places of debauchery called "lupanaria". In one of the principal rooms of the house may be seen a painting...
Plate Iv. Sarcophagus : Plate IV. p. 8 SARCOPHAGUS STONE. "Height of each Bas-relief about 2 feet". PLATE IV. WE are shown by this bas-relief the two principal sides of a sarcophagus, where, without doubt, a married pair were buried: the sculptor has reproduced their features, together with the most important epoch...
Plate Xlv. Spinthria : Plate XLV. p. 88 SPINTHRIA. FOUND AT POMPEII. PLATE XLV. HERE again we have an obscene painting, which recalls to mind a species of libertinism much in vogue at Rome in the reigns of the Emperors. The most undeniable antiquities, the authorities most worthy of belief, all concur in demonstrating...
Plate Xxxvii. An Erotic Scene : Plate XXXVII. p. 75 AN EROTIC SCENE FRESCO FROM HERCULANEUM PLATE XXXVII. A YOUNG woman, half-naked, is showing her lover a quince-tree leaf, as if to excite him to take what she still refuses him. The youth amorously presses his mistress's neck and shoulders, and looks anxiously at the leaf which...
Title Page : THE ROYAL MUSEUM AT NAPLES, BEING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE EROTIC PAINTINGS, BRONZES, AND STATUES CONTAINED IN THAT FAMOUS "CABINET SECRET" BY COLONEL FANIN. (Stanislas Marie Csar Famin, B. 1799 D. 1853) London [1871] Scanned , June 2003. J. B. Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These...
Plate Xv. A Priapus Hermes : Plate XV. p. 32 A PRIAPUS-HERMES BRONZE. "Of the size of the original". PLATE XV. NO doubt this bronze, which was found at Portici, must have belonged to a votive chapel. It represents an old man whose beard is carefully combed; his ears, of considerable dimensions, resemble those of a faun. He is...
Plate Lvi. Etruscan Vase : Plate LVI. p. 112 ETRUSCAN VASE. Height, 14 11/25 inches. PLATE LVI. THIS is one of those far-famed vases, commonly called Etruscan, because the first were found in Etruria. Since then, a much greater number of them have been found in Graccia Magna, or Naples, in Greece proper, and in Sicily;...
Plate Xxviii. Votive Phalli : Plate XXVIII. p. 56 VOTIVE PHALLI. BRONZES FROM HERCULANEUM. PLATE XXVIII. FIGURES 1 AND 2. THE first two figures represent amulets divided into two parts, one of which is in the form of a phallus, and the other of an arm with a hand, making the "figue", that obscene gesture which we have spoken...
Plate Lvii. Hercules And The Stymphalic Birds : Plate LVII. p. 117 HERCULES AND THE STYMPHALIC BIRDS. PLATE LVII. PAUSANIAS makes mention in his Arcadia of certain birds, which he believes to be natives of Arabia, of the size of cranes, and the appearance of storks. He adds that they sometimes came in large quantities, and established themselves...
Plate Xli. An Hermaphrodite And Faun : Plate XLI. p. 83 AN HERMAPHRODITE AND FAUN. PAINTING FOUND AT RESINA. Height, 18 2/25 inches. Width, 12 22/25 inches. PLATE XLI. THIS charming fresco, excellent in colour and of very remarkable purity of drawing, represents one of those bearded fauns called Sileni, who is trying to do violence...
