HELLENIC -- Comedy Actor in Drag with Phallus Extended
Terra Cotta, High Hellenic.
Of course you already know that all the actors were male; this was the tradition right up through Shakespeare's time and was also a tradition in Asian theater for many centuries.
This character is in near-perfect condition, with just a bit of wear. It came from a Joel Malter auction in 1972 or 73 and has been on public display only once, at the Ancient Faces Exhibit, 1979.
I know of no other example on the open market at this time, nor have I seen any offered for sale in the usual auction houses.
Asking $2250 retail.
antiquity02.jpg