Male Continental Silver Chastity Device

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About the Item

This remarkably rare and intriguing 19th century silver adolescent chastity device was designed to accommodate the male anatomy. Perforated and featuring wire-work rims, this device was most likely fitted into a leather harness-like belt and meant to be worn by adolescents to discourage “self-abuse,” which was considered harmful in Western medicine. Though restrictive by nature, these devices do provide access for urination. Chastity belts typically conjure images of jealous husbands and medieval torture, but in fact, items such as this was mentioned quite often in medical journals as a prevention to auto-erotic stimulation in children and adolescents. Seen as a medical necessity, such devices were used from the 1700s to the 1930s. It is almost unheard of to find such an excellent, 19th-century example as this, especially in such immaculate condition, circa 1850 4oz. 10dwt Measures: 5” long The first documented reference to the term "chastity belt" is credited to R'gine Pernoud, a Medieval historian who, in the 14th century explained that a simple cord worn around the waist was a symbol of chastity (such as the robes of a monk or priest - the cord around his waist is a symbol of his vows of chastity and purity). According to modern myth, the chastity belt was originally used as an anti-temptation device during the Crusades. It is believed that when the knight was away from his young wife, he would force her to wear the belt day and night. However, chastity belts that claimed to have been manufactured around that time have since been proven to be 19th century replicas, curiosities or fakes, and were the product of a purely Victorian fascination with such devices. Two chastity belts believed to be authentic have been exhibited at the Musée de Cluny in Paris. The first, a simple velvet-covered hoop and plate of iron, was supposedly worn by Catherine de' Medici. The other—said to have been worn by Anna of Austria—is a hinged pair of plates held about the waist by metal straps, featuring intricately etched figures of Adam and Eve. There are other such belts at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg and the British Museum in London. Most have been removed from display to avoid any further embarrassment because the authenticity of these belts as Renaissance devices has since been called into question.

Dimensions:
Height: 5 in (12.7 cm)Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
Style:
Victorian (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Silver
Place of Origin:
Unknown
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1850
Condition:
Seller Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 29-35591stDibs: LU891116092091

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