Phallus in a temple relief (Fallo di tufo)

myminifactory

This is a limestone ancient relief of a phallus standing proudly in the middle of a temple-like relief, part of a famous exhibition in Gabinetto Segreto. The Secret Museum or Secret Cabinet of Naples houses a collection of erotic art from Pompeii and Herculaneum, displayed in separate galleries within the National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy. This cabinet refers to a well-presented collection of objects meant for admiration and study. Throughout ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, erotic frescoes, depictions of the god Priapus, sexually explicit symbols, and inscriptions were found alongside household items like phallic oil lamps. The Ancient Romans viewed explicit material very differently from most present-day cultures, with a distinct understanding of sexuality that has evolved over time. Ideas about obscenity began to develop from the 18th century onwards into a modern concept of pornography. When Pompeii was excavated, artefacts deemed obscene and unsuitable for public viewing were classified as pornography in 1821 and locked away in a Secret Museum. The doorway was bricked up in 1849. At Pompeii, metal cabinets covered erotic frescoes that could be shown to gentlemen, but not ladies, for an additional fee. This peep show remained operational until the 1960s, accessible only to people of mature age and respected morals - essentially educated men. The catalogue of the secret museum downplayed the content of the room through engravings and descriptive texts. The excavation of Pompeii was significant to various powerful interests with conflicting views on history. In the 1930s, Benito Mussolini saw the excavations as validating a Nova Roma, but the presence of sexually explicit material posed a problem. The secret room was briefly reopened at the end of the 1960s before being finally re-opened in 2000. Since 2005, the collection has been kept in a separate room within the Naples National Archaeological Museum.