Erotic art
WHS where overtly sexual depictions or symbols can be seen.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Altamira Cave | Camarín de las vulvas in the cave of Tito Bustillo. | |
| Delos | Columns with Phallus at the Stoivadeion: “The Stoibadeion contains a rectangular platform containing a statue of Dionysus, which was flanked by two actors impersonating Papposilenoi. These actors are now in the Delos Museum for protection. Two pillars, one on each side of the platform, each support a huge phallus, the symbol of Dionysos.” (wiki) | |
| Dholavira: A Harappan City | In India, the earliest such surviving imagery dates from the Harappan times, such as the phallic statues of Dholavira. - “A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found in the passageway of the eastern gate.” (it’s unclear whether phallic sculptures still can be seen on site today) | |
| Ellora Caves | Kailasa Temple: houses mithunas (erotic male and female figures). | |
| Etruscan Necropolises | Tarquinia: the Tomba della Fustigazione has a painting of two men whipping a woman (suggesting an influence of the cult of Dionysus, erotic scenes like these had an apotropaic purpose to keep demons away from the tomb). Also: Tomba dei Tori - Hercules having sex with another man when a bull appears with the face of Achelous to fight him. | |
| Frontiers of the Roman Empire | Roman Penises Carved into Hadrian’s Wall | |
| Gedeo Cultural landscape | Phallic stelae, for example at Tuto-fela | |
| Hampi | The outer temple walls and tall gopuram of the Virupaksha, Vitthala, and Achyuta Raya Temples have erotic carvings. "...the most famous scene has a nude woman being looked at and admired by the people around her." | |
| Kathmandu Valley | Erotic carvings in Char Narayan Temple of Patan Durbar Square, Shiva-Parvati Temple, and Pashupatinath Temple of Bhaktapur Durbar Square. "some of these centuries-old erotic carvings showcase intercourse beyond the heterosexual definition of sex." and "there are a few carvings even of animals like horses penetrating women". | |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | "The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of artwork, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices. Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of the Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples." (wiki) | |
| Mogao Caves | A large number of the caves are off-limits, because they are not of significant interest or they contain Tantric murals considered too sexually explicit for visitors (the source for this seems to have been The Rough Guide to China). | |
| Pattadakal | There are Erotic Sculptures on the wooden car (chariot) in Pattadakal. | |
| Petroglyphs of the Lake Onega and the White Sea | "There are also scenes with erotic content that testify the rituals once held here, which were connected with such an important theme as the continuation of the human race." (Nomination file, p. 25) | |
| Pompei | "There are numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculptures from the ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum but the original purposes of the depictions can vary. On one hand, in the Villa of the Mysteries, there is a ritual flagellation scene that is clearly associated with a religious cult and this image can be seen as having religious significance rather than sexual. On the other hand, graphic paintings in a brothel advertise sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks were created to aid visitors in finding their way by pointing to the prostitution and entertainment district as well as general decoration." | |
| Pont du Gard | A Phallus (though others think it's a hare): “It actually evokes Priapus and responds to a prophylactic function (preventing evils or protecting oneself against them) or apotropaic (diverting malefic influences towards another object). It is supposed to protect the structure from floods and evil spells. It is also a lucky charm placed in houses, on paths, in fields, gardens, on public monuments and in places where danger is potential. It is also a symbol of the fertility, the population and the splendor of the colony of Nîmes.” | |
| Quseir Amra | The Fresco of a bathing woman: a wall painting of a topless woman is visible on the walls of this private bathhouse of an Umayyad dignitary. It was possibly painted by a Christian or Egyptian artist. | |
| Risco Caido | "This cavity is also richly decorated with triangular motifs, interpreted as representing the female pubic triangle as a symbol of fertility." (AB ev) | |
| Rock Carvings in Tanum | scenes of sexual intercourse at the Varlö location, as well as figures having sex with animals | |
| Rock Drawings in Valcamonica | one of the most published images is a relation between a human figure and an animal in Capo di Ponte, Valcamonica | |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | “a couple in an erotic posture” | |
| Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France | The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors has an erotic scene between a man and a woman above its portal. | |
| Sanchi | "The earliest known fusion of sexual and religious imagery in stone in the subcontinent is on Buddhist monuments at Sanchi and Bharhut (second century BCE). Even though these earliest depictions were tame— non-erotic and non-amorous—it’s safe to say that the inspiration for them did not come from the sex-negative Buddha. Rather, it arose from the syncretic milieu of the builders and their simultaneous embrace of many folk cults, including of yakshis and Sri, alongside the teachings of the Buddha." | |
| Serra da Capivara | “Possible Zoophilia Themes”: "sexual relations from the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic pictures, where possibly an animal lifts its tail to a man. During the field research, the recurrence of this typeof composition was observed, with erect phalli. If wild animals were submitted to erotic contact with homo sapiens, and they behaved comfortably, without force or resistance, it can show the domestication process of the animals during the sedentarization of the human species that was in progress. The utility of animal control did not only permeate agriculture, farming, and transport but also sexual purposes" | |
| Sigiriya | 22 paintings of females, considered erotic with their naked chests | |
| Sun Temple, Konarak | The Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas. These show couples in various stages of courtship and intimacy, and in some cases coital themes. Notorious in the colonial era for their uninhibited celebration of sexuality, these images are included with other aspects of human life as well as deities that are typically associated with tantra. (wiki) | |
| Tadrart Acacus | Presumably early Round Head style: two figures with a huge penis, - In the evolved phase of the Round Head art,therefore, there are two distinct groups of male figures: simple men with no genitalia at all, in contrast with evidently outstanding beings whose genitalia are exaggeratedly big. | |
| Tassili n'Ajjer | "Some scenes appear to portray sexuality, e.g. men with an erect penis." See also Tadrart Acacus for a similar tradition in Rock Art. | |
| Tsodilo | One of the paintings shows a dancing crowd of sexually excited male figures (the "Dancing Penises"). | |
| Villa Romana del Casale | Erotic Scene mosaic - "The kissing lovers have been identified as Cupid and Psyche, who go through a whirlwind of events before finally marrying" |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Erotic art?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source