The 18th Century aristocratic enjoyed risqué scenes, whether in book form, wall paintings or on jewelry. Erotic jewelry as a unique genre comprises some very interesting and amusing works of...
The 18th Century aristocratic enjoyed risqué scenes, whether in book form, wall paintings or on jewelry. Erotic jewelry as a unique genre comprises some very interesting and amusing works of art such as this fascinating intaglio ring. Within the oval space a young female satyr is being made love to by a herm. Satyrs are typically highly sexed males who think of nothing but women and wine. Their 'leader' was the great God Pan who was half-man and half-goat, and equally dedicated to salacious pleasures. The herm was another member of the ancient menagerie of sexual symbols. They were marble or bronze four-cornered pillars surmounted by a bust, always male and usually with erect phalluses. Herms were particularly common in Athens standing at crossroads, in the countryside, in the Agora, and at private doorways. This female satyr has found a herm to her liking and is making best use of the opportunity. It is perhaps not a coincidence that jasper, (rare when uniformly colored), was used in ancient times for amulets against unusual sights!