Last Updated: Jul 19, 2016     Views: 366

Thank you for contacting us with your question. We have limited resources that specifically address the history of glass sex toys, in part because there appears to be relatively little published on the subject. After reviewing our resources and speaking with Dr. David Whitehouse, Executive Director and Curator of Ancient and Islamic Glass we can offer the following information:

1. Pg. 202 of Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass (Whitehouse) contains a brief discussion of penis shaped early glass vessels. (see attachment).

2. There is a brief mention of 'glass phallus', with an image, at Digital Egypt for Universities (https://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/glass/roman.html)

3. "Refined Table Vessel or..." Curiosa Archaeologica. Ungewohnliche Einblicke in die Archaologie. Eine Festschrift fur Alfred Falk. 2002, pp81-84. Notes: Table vessel in the form of a phallus, about 14th to early 16th centuries.

4. From Dr. Whitehouse "The Greeks and the Romans -- like most other cultures, I imagine, certainly used sex toys, and some people have suggested that certain Roman glass objects may have served this purpose. However, although I'm told you can buy pyrex sex toys on the internet, if the Romans used toys they would have been made of soda-lime glass,

5. You may want to approach this from an archeaological standpoint, if you have not already tried this.

6. I'm not sure if this institution could help you but you may want to contact the Museum of Sex in New York (https://www.museumofsex.com/) or possibly the library at The Kinsey Institute.

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