This remarkable flute is much more than a
simple musical instrument. Although we will
never know what melodic tunes were once
played utilizing it, we can assume that notes and
rhythms were intimately linked to ancient fertility
ceremonies. The shapes of the flute suggests as
much. The flute stands upright, resting on the
join of the white mouthpiece and the two large
red testicles. A long white shaft rises forth from
the testicles, and a red phallic head peeks out at
the top, complete with incised lines that define
the form. The music would have sounded out of
a hole in the top, so that musical notes instead
of semen would have been the life giving force
emitted by this phallic flute. A pregnant woman,
sculpted with the wide, round face characteristic
of the Chinesco style, is seated on the join of the
testicles to the shaft. However, the artist has
ingeniously merged her torso into the round
testicles, so that they in turn function as her
thighs and she appears to be seated, leaning her
back up against the shaft, holding it in place
with her arms. While aesthetically pleasing, this
unique composition also profoundly influences
the interpretation of the piece. Here, the
carriage of life as symbolized by the pregnant
woman’s rotund thighs is the same as the seat of
the male seed as represented by the testicles. In
effect, the artist has depicted the concept of
human fertility and copulation without actually
representing the act.
- (X.0204)
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