Bronze " Hermes At Rest » After Antiquity, 19th Century.

Reproduction executed in the 19th century - of great quality of execution - of "Mercury at rest" preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.
This famous bronze discovered in 1758 in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum is based on a Greek statue dating from the 3d century before J-C.
Hermes or Mercury for the Romans, God of travelers and traders, is represented here at rest.

The beautiful black patina highlights, through the play of light and the posture of the subject seated on a rock, the perfect proportions of an idealized male body in the personification of a God.
The quality of the chiseling, the 1/2 format and the choice of the base in blue turquin marble allow us to attribute this very beautiful old reproduction to the Neapolitan workshop De Angelis (1840-1915) known for the particular care of its productions.
Provenance Estate of a great Parisian antique dealer.