Horns of honour, and other studies in the by-ways of archaeology (1900)
Elworthy, Frederick Thomas, 1830-1907 · London, J. Murray · leaf 199
FAR LA FICA 1 77 as manus obscaena ,l86 fully described by Ovid. It is this gesture of the hand which is known by all Latin races as faire la figue, and expresses the climax of contempt ; while in modern Italian, far la fica con- veys something besides, which is well understood as a double entendre… … appreciated by the natives, and the hand in this position is an object of devout worship, especially by childless women.188 Besides its many aspects as an instrument for the conveyance of signs and gestures, the hand has always played a very important role in all matters relating to magic,…
Horns · Devil · Hand · Terra-cotta figurines, Italian
Internet Archive · Getty Research Institute · Public domain (published before 1931). Free to use for anything.