Sex or Symbol: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome

Catherine Johns

ISBN 10: 0714117137 / ISBN 13: 9780714117133

Published by British Museum Press, 1990

About this Item

Investigating overt sexual representations in the art of Greek and Roman life, Johns explains that many of the objects which Victorians found shocking were not all intended to have an erotic purpose. Many had a religious and apotropaic function, and also shed light on social mores of the time.

Seller Inventory # CIN0714117137G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sex or Symbol: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome
• Publisher: British Museum Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0714117137
• ISBN 13: 9780714117133
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

A well-illustrated guide to the representation of sex in all its varied and imaginative forms as it was depicted on Greek and Roman vases, wall-paintings, figurines and other weird and wonderful objects. Catherine Johns discusses the links between erotic imagery and the gods and fertility, and the purpose and significance of these depictions. Limited numbers of the previous American edition are still available, plesae ask for details.

About the Author

Catherine Johns is a retired curator of Romano-British antiquities at the British Museum. Her other books include Horses (BMP, 2006), Dogs (BMP, 2008) and the classic Sex or Symbol? Erotic Images of Greece and Rome (BMP, 1990, repr. 2006).