ITEM: Applique depicting an erotic scene MATERIAL: Bone CULTURE: Roman PERIOD: 2nd - 3rd Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 28 mm x 34 mm x 17 mm CONDITION: Good condition, repaired. PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, acquired before 1980s Roman bone appliques featuring explicit erotic scenes (symplegma) are among the most evocative decorative elements preserved from ancient domestic luxury items. Carved in low or high relief from bovine bone or ivory, these delicate plaques—often measuring just a few centimeters across—were crafted to ornament high-status furniture, wooden jewelry caskets (pyxides), and couches (lecti). Artisans utilized small iron chisels, gouges, and abrasives to execute astonishing anatomical detail within the constrained surface of the material, rendering intertwined couples on draped banquets or couches in compositions that echoed famous Hellenistic sculptures and contemporary wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Far from being purely scandalous, explicit erotic imagery held complex cultural, social, and protective meanings within the Roman world. While such appliques undoubtedly added a provocative, playful dimension to private spaces reserved for dining (triclinia) or sleeping (cubicula), erotic art was also linked to apotropaic beliefs—the concept that depictions of fertility, passion, and the human body could ward off the evil eye (fascinum) and bring good fortune to a household. Additionally, these carved reliefs reflected the elite Roman appreciation for Greek-style erotic genre scenes, aligning domestic decor with sophisticated Mediterranean artistic traditions. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license