Erotic Art of Pompeii
The shocking works inside Italy’s “Gabinetto Segreto”
During the excavation of the volcano-destroyed town of Pompeii in the mid-19th century, archaeologists discovered a shockingly wide range of erotic art. There was a sculpture that depicted Pan—the god of Nature—copulating with a goat. There were wall paintings of naked lovers. And there were epically-proportioned phalluses on everything from figurines to frescoes. The collection of art—currently housed in the “Gabinetto Segreto” or “secret cabinet” at the Naples National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy—was deemed too obscene to be viewed by the general public and thus locked away. These days, anyone over the age of 14 can take a tour of the finds. Here are 10 of the works on display that give you an idea just how sex-obsessed ancient Roman society could be.
