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Hedy had seen quite a few statues in Florence—after all, the Palazzo Vecchio housed quite a number of them.
Most of those parts were about the size of the first knuckle of a pinky finger.
If they didn’t want to acknowledge its existence, wouldn’t it be better to just cover it with cloth...?
They passed by the gold leaf workshop, turned right near another painting studio, and suddenly stopped.
"Look at this," he said with a smile.
Hedy froze, frowned, and stayed silent for a while.
Why is this one sculpted so thick and long?
Not only is it sticking straight up, but it’s also holding up the entire fruit basket, making it look like some weightlifting equipment...
Just eyeballing the size... it must be at least 20 to 30 centimeters long?!
Why is it carved like a club??
She instinctively glanced at Da Vinci, whose expression remained as calm as ever.
If it were any other man showing her bizarre genitalia, she might have considered calling a lawyer.
"This is The Harvest of Priapus. This deity was the child born after Aphrodite was cursed by Hera," Da Vinci bent down to glance at the thick, lengthy presence beneath the fruit basket, explaining the pagan tale to her. "So after his birth, he remained in this state forever—unable to recover or shrink back."
"You mean... this is actually a kind of... punishment?"
"Mhm." Da Vinci led her toward the apothecary as he elaborated, "From what my teacher told me, this likely stems from an ancient Greek belief."
Plump, spherical shapes symbolized potent reproductive power.
Rod-like forms, however, ought to be small and inconspicuous—only then could they represent wisdom and virtue.
Art itself often defied conventional notions, and this was also tied to the ever-expanding economic climate of the Middle Ages.
Only through self-castration, binding oneself with morality, could the risk of property being violated be minimized.
Modern people, living in the age of pop culture, might hold entirely opposite views.
But what’s truly frightening isn’t physical castration—it’s the complete distortion of the mind.
"From a sculpting perspective, something of this length would easily break or get damaged without support."
"From a philosophical standpoint, the smaller it is, the more it signifies self-discipline and intelligence."
Hedy listened to his explanations and clicked her tongue inwardly.
People could only deceive each other in this era.
A few centuries later... religion and mythology wouldn’t hold nearly as much sway.
They bought some strange items together at the herbal shop.
In addition to a few more plump mummies, they also bought snail shells, bird feathers, and strange little stones for their friends at the palace.
The herbal shop owner had been replaced by an elderly woman, who smiled and was very easy to talk to. She even gave Hedy an extra feather pen.
As they walked back to the Doge's Palace, chatting along the way, Hedy suddenly saw Dechio anxiously standing at the door, clearly preparing to go out and look for her.
