| DATE | 300 BC - 500 AD |
| AUTHOR | Unknown Pre-Columbian artist - Costa Rica |
| MEDIA | Terracotta |
| SIZE | 25,2 cm (9" 3/4) |
| LOCATION | USA - California - Beverly Hills - Barakat Gallery |
| NOTES | Apart from male dominance and its many implications, the erect male member stands for the all-important issue of fertility and procreation. In many societies a man needs a child, not only to pass on his legacy, but also to offer prayers once he has passed into the spirit world. For this purpose a phallus was made to represent the ultimate in virility, and used in ritual ceremonies in order to heighten sexuality, or perhaps as a cure for impotency. It is in fact very skillfully created and intended to be realistic, with its veins exposed and ribbing near the fold. A hole through the center adds to the realism and may have had a specific purpose in the ceremony. Pebbles placed inside the hollow testicles turns it into a variety of musical instrument. Men dancing in frenzy, rattling these grand objects must have made a very impressive spectacle! |
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