5 Roman & Romano-Egyptian Apotropaic Amulets | Fascina & Evil Eye Talismans (Auction 2026-05-15, Lot 168)

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Roman and Romano-Egyptian, Imperial period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE. A cohesive group of five apotropaic amulets representing two of the most potent protective forms circulating across the Roman world and its Egyptian provinces, united by their shared function as talismans against the evil eye and the malevolent forces that shadowed daily life in antiquity. The two larger pieces are Roman phallic amulets, known as fascina: one cast in bronze and one in leaded bronze, both in the characteristic form of the phallus with flanking testicular elements, worn as suspension pendants and among the most ubiquitous protective objects in the Roman material record, their apotropaic power rooted in the ancient association of phallic imagery with generative force and the deflection of harmful influences. Size of largest: 2.2″ L x 0.9″ W x 0.8″ H (5.6 cm x 2.3 cm x 2 cm)

The remaining three are mano fico amulets, representing the closed fist with the thumb thrust between the index and middle fingers, a gesture of both sexual potency and protective defiance whose use stretches from ancient Rome into modern Mediterranean folk practice. Of these, one is carved in stone, compact and direct in its rendering, while the two Romano-Egyptian examples are faience, their blue-green glaze carrying the added protective resonance that Egyptians associated with that color and material across millennia of amulet production. Together the five objects trace the easy commerce of protective symbolism across the Roman Empire’s cultural geography, from the workshops of Italy to the Nile Valley.

Provenance: private Dayton, Maryland, USA collection; ex-private F. B. collection, Maryland, USA, acquired between 1990 to 2010

Good. Second largest has been professionally repaired with break line visible. All have weathering and abrasions to surfaces, commensurate with age. Otherwise, four are intact and all are very nice with rich patinas throughout. All wearable as beads or pendants.