Puer mingens

Two pueri mingentes in the sacristy lavabo, Florence Cathedral

A puer mingēns (Latin: [ˈpʊ.ɛr ˈmɪŋ.ɡeːns]; pl.: puerī mingentēs [ˈpʊ.ɛr.iː mɪŋ.ˈɡɛn.teːs])[1] is a figure in a work of art depicted as a prepubescent boy in the act of urinating, either actual or simulated. The puer mingens could represent anything from whimsy and boyish innocence to erotic symbols of virility and masculine bravado.[2]

  1. ^ Piepenbring, Dan (September 20, 2017). "A secret history of the pissing figure in art". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Simons, Patricia (2009). "Manliness and the Visual Semiotics of Bodily Fluids in Early Modern Culture". Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. 39 (2): 331–373. doi:10.1215/10829636-2008-025.