Ring
1st century-2nd century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This small gold ring belonged probably to a child. On its bezel, it is engraved with a phallic ornament.
Phallic amulets were common in the Roman world and were primarily a symbol of fertility. At a deeper level however, the phallus was regarded as giving powerful protection against the evil eye and had therefore an apotropaic function. Children, who were fragile and particularly at risk of diseases and death, wore amuletic jewellery bearing this symbol. Phallic pendants and rings are commonly found in children's tombs. They almost certainly represent an attempt to aid the child not only in life during illness but also on the journey through death. As such, phallic amulets were also popular amongst soldiers and bronze or bone amulets have been found on Roman military sites.
The Roman god Priapus was a phallic deity who was commonly found depicted on houses in Pompei, as well as at crossroads. His role was to protect the occupants of the house from evil and ensure fertility. His role was firmly established by the first century BC.
This ring forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-81). Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.
Edmund Waterton used the fortune which was made by his family’s involvement in the British Guiana sugar plantations to put his collection together. His grandfather owned a plantation known as Walton Hall and his father, Charles Waterton, went to Guiana as a young man to help run La Jalousie and Fellowship, plantations which belonged to his uncles. When slavery was abolished in the British territories, Charles Waterton claimed £16283 6s 7d in government compensation and was recorded as having 300 slaves on the Walton Hall estate.
Phallic amulets were common in the Roman world and were primarily a symbol of fertility. At a deeper level however, the phallus was regarded as giving powerful protection against the evil eye and had therefore an apotropaic function. Children, who were fragile and particularly at risk of diseases and death, wore amuletic jewellery bearing this symbol. Phallic pendants and rings are commonly found in children's tombs. They almost certainly represent an attempt to aid the child not only in life during illness but also on the journey through death. As such, phallic amulets were also popular amongst soldiers and bronze or bone amulets have been found on Roman military sites.
The Roman god Priapus was a phallic deity who was commonly found depicted on houses in Pompei, as well as at crossroads. His role was to protect the occupants of the house from evil and ensure fertility. His role was firmly established by the first century BC.
This ring forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-81). Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.
Edmund Waterton used the fortune which was made by his family’s involvement in the British Guiana sugar plantations to put his collection together. His grandfather owned a plantation known as Walton Hall and his father, Charles Waterton, went to Guiana as a young man to help run La Jalousie and Fellowship, plantations which belonged to his uncles. When slavery was abolished in the British territories, Charles Waterton claimed £16283 6s 7d in government compensation and was recorded as having 300 slaves on the Walton Hall estate.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraved gold |
| Brief description | Gold ring, possibly for a child, the hoop widening into the bezel which is engraved with a phallus, Roman, 1st or 2nd century |
| Physical description | Gold ring, possibly for a child, the hoop widening into the bezel which is engraved with a phallus |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | ex Waterton Collection |
| Production | Roman |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This small gold ring belonged probably to a child. On its bezel, it is engraved with a phallic ornament. Phallic amulets were common in the Roman world and were primarily a symbol of fertility. At a deeper level however, the phallus was regarded as giving powerful protection against the evil eye and had therefore an apotropaic function. Children, who were fragile and particularly at risk of diseases and death, wore amuletic jewellery bearing this symbol. Phallic pendants and rings are commonly found in children's tombs. They almost certainly represent an attempt to aid the child not only in life during illness but also on the journey through death. As such, phallic amulets were also popular amongst soldiers and bronze or bone amulets have been found on Roman military sites. The Roman god Priapus was a phallic deity who was commonly found depicted on houses in Pompei, as well as at crossroads. His role was to protect the occupants of the house from evil and ensure fertility. His role was firmly established by the first century BC. This ring forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-81). Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899. Edmund Waterton used the fortune which was made by his family’s involvement in the British Guiana sugar plantations to put his collection together. His grandfather owned a plantation known as Walton Hall and his father, Charles Waterton, went to Guiana as a young man to help run La Jalousie and Fellowship, plantations which belonged to his uncles. When slavery was abolished in the British territories, Charles Waterton claimed £16283 6s 7d in government compensation and was recorded as having 300 slaves on the Walton Hall estate. |
| Bibliographic reference | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 464-1871 |
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| Record created | March 21, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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