Medieval pilgrim stamp depicting a penis and vulva with the inscription "Pintelin"
This unusual medieval pilgrimage stamp is based on a find from the Netherlands dating from 1400-1450 AD and depicts a so-called phallic animal with a moving bell in front of an open vulva.
The inscription 'Pintelin' is probably in Old Dutch and probably means something like 'little pintle'.
The original pilgrim stamp was made of tin and is now part of the Langbroek, Van Breuningen collection.
In the High Middle Ages, pilgrim badges with obscene or erotically crude motifs spread mainly in the Netherlands, but have also been found in Belgium and England. They were probably used for entertainment, especially during the carnival period.
- Material: bronze
The erotic pilgrim badge measures 3,3 × 3,5 cm and has a fixed spike on the back for attaching to clothing.
Many humorous depictions of the penis and vulva are known from the late Middle Ages. These motifs form a subset of the so-called profane stamps, which include, for example, obscene representations of phallic trees, penis-shaped ships and, in particular, the so-called phallic animal - a semi-human penis equipped with legs, sometimes with wings, a crown or a bell.
People in the Middle Ages probably wanted to mock or belittle sexuality through these crudely erotic signs, and to use them as a means of establishing communication in the context of sexual initiation - especially in view of the relaxed mores of the Mardi Gras period.
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