Hermes-mercury After An Ancient Model — Neapolitan Grand Tour Bronze, Ca. 1860

19th-centuryItalian school, circa 1860.

Oursculpture is a reinterpretation of the Hellenistic type depicting the god at rest,as preserved in Roman copies: a lost Greek bronze, copiedin the 1st century CE, the finest examples of which arepreserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Itdepicts the god of travelers and merchants, Hermes, nude,resting on a rock—Mercury to the Romans, protectorof merchants, travelers, and thieves, messenger of his fatherJupiter.

The god isseated, completely nude, his torso slightly bent forward, his headtilted and his gaze lowered: the pose suggests rest, notaction. He is recognizable by his winged sandals, whosewings are chiseled at each ankle—the talaria,an attribute symbolizing the messenger’s speed. The toes are rendered in detailright down to the nails: this is evidence of a high-quality cast.

Our statueis a Neapolitan cast from the second half of the 19th century,commissioned for clients on the Grand Tour. At the time, the workshops in Naplessupplied European travelers with miniature replicas of the greatmarble sculptures of Rome, Florence, and Naples.

Bronze witha nuanced brown and green patina, circa 1860, of very fine quality.

Verygood condition

Dimensions: H 22 × W 18 × D 14 cm.

Carefulshipping, reinforced and insured packaging.