Veneres uti observantur in gemmis antiquis

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A small selection of illustrations from Veneres uti observantur in gemmis antiquis (1785), a study of the pornographic art of antiquity by Pierre d’Hancarville. The book comprises 80 or so drawings with accompanying text in English and French, so for once it’s possible to read the commentary. Most of the selections here are (predictably) of the phallic variety but the book runs the gamut of mythological liaisons. The phallic procession shown below has a long history (so to speak) which has been discussed here on more than one occasion.

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