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Mad monkâs member features big in Russian erotica museum
EFL.When in St. Pete, make sure to visit. And, yes, there is a picture.SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia - In a more innocent age, it was said that Gregory Efimovich Rasputinâs legendary power over women was due to his piercing eyes. But a new museum of erotica here suggests that the mad monkâs charm may instead have been, ahem, concealed beneath his cassock. Measuring 28.5 centimeters (about 11 inches) -- allowing for shrinkage caused by pickling -- Rasputinâs penis displayed in a tall glass bottle is, to put it delicately, a big attraction at the museum. Shrinkage. I hate that. Director Igor Knyazkin said he bought the object from a French antiquitarian for 8,000 dollars (6,600 euros), along with several of Rasputinâs hand-written letters. Somebody collects these? Thatâs... disturbing. It was not known if he had a certificate of authenticity for such a remarkable piece. Maybe itâs got a hologram on it, like baseball cards. Reputed both for his mysticism and his debauchery, Rasputin was a powerful influence at the court of the Romanov Tsars. Concerned about his unusual hold over the Empress Alexandra, a group of aristocrats decided to kill him to save Russia. They lured him to an assignation in 1916, fed him drugged cakes, shot him and finally killed him by wrapping him in a carpet and throwing him into the frozen Neva river. Or maybe they were just jealous? The aura of sexual power and mysticism lives on. Some Russians think just by staring at the object, they can cure sexual impotence. One visitor asked Knyazkin if this is true. "Without a shadow of doubt," he replied with a smile. Spoken like a man who knows... Knyazkin, 37, a urologist and sexologist, set up the museum in the clinic he runs, partly with the aim of helping his patients overcome impotence. The atmosphere of the museum makes patients "more optimistic and relaxed," he said. If I had this problem, and saw this thing, the last thing I would be is "more optimistic and relaxed". "The aim of the doctor is to free his patient from anxiety and fears. Men who come here are ill at ease because of their problems, and our light and happy atmosphere reassures them." Only part of Knyazkinâs collection of 12,000 erotic objects is displayed in the clinic, which is staffed by buxom nurses wearing short white blouses and high heels. Donât sound like a museum to me. "I keep the valuable stuff at home," he said. I donât even want to know. Posted by: tu3031 2004-06-14 |
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