1976 Antique Chastity Belt
1976) GERMAN CHASTITY BELT IN THE TASTE OF THE 1600’S:
Introduction: This is the absolute best conversation piece you could probably own. A chastity belt is a locking garment designed to prevent sexual intercourse. While commonly associated with medieval knights protecting their wives’ “virtue,” this historical narrative has been challenged as a myth. However, I can tell you without reservation that about 17 years ago, a chastity belt from the ancestral collection of Sigmaringen Castle sold for approximately $17,000 and was bought by a British dealer, who probably sold it for several times what he paid. I know because I was there.
Description: South German Constructed of hinged plates of steel, the two main plates pierced and engraved with symmetrical designs of scrollwork, the borders pierced with holes for the attachment of a cloth covering, the front plate pierced and engraved with a padlock.
Condition: Superb.
Discussion: This chastity belt is without a doubt not a period piece. It was probably made during the Victorian period. However, even non-period chastity belts have a strong demand. The earliest drawing of a chastity belt appeared in 1405, in Bellifortis, a publication on military engineering that included detailed designs for catapults, armor, torture devices, and other instruments of war. A picture above shows the Bellifortis chastity belt.
Circa the 16th century, the chastity belt began to appear more frequently in illustrations, engravings, and woodcuts. Typically, a scene depicted an older husband leaving on a trip. His wife is often portrayed partially naked, wearing a chastity belt. Usually, in the picture, her lover was anxiously awaiting the husband’s departure, with a copy of the chastity belt lock already in hand.
Comparables: Let’s look at what some comparable chastity belts have sold for in the past. Be forewarned: mine is selling at a fraction of these prices:
-Olympia Auctions (Sotheby’s Arms and Armor) London, March 20, 2013, lot # 165…Sold £6,240 GBP about $11,000 US!
-Christie’s New York, NY, US April 04, 2003, lot #465 Sold: $5,975 USD.
–Templum Fine Art Auctions, Barcelona, Spain, April 26, 2023, lot 1440 Sold: €3,750 EUR plus buyers’ premium and exchange rate = $5,484.375.
Provenance: From the collection of Gottlob Herbert Bidermann, Stuttgart/Aachen, Germany. Herr Bidermann was one of Europe’s most prominent collectors of Arms and Armor. He wrote several books on Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor. He was appointed court expert on Medieval/Renaissance Arms and Armor by the German Government (Öffentlich bestellter und vereidigter Sachverständiger für Historische Waffen).
Conclusion: Historians widely accept that most “authentic” medieval chastity belts in museums are actually 19th-century forgeries. So why would you want one? Because everybody who walks into the room will immediately walk up to it and ask, ……….“Is that what I think it is?”…………
Since almost everyone thinks they were a real item used in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the fun begins. Invent whatever crazy story you want about your great-grandmother, the chambermaid to the czar of Russia, and an alleged infidelity that led your grandfather to make her wear it on the boat to America!
“Does this mean you could be royalty?” They will ask.
Have fun, life is short; however, make sure and tell them the truth before they leave, or before you have your third gin and tonic and forget to tell them.
Priced to sell for a fraction of the auction house’s prices. ACT NOW. This is the only one I have offered in 40 years and probably the last.
All my items come with the following:
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