Roman Bronze Statuette of Mercury on an Eagle

Roman Bronze Statuette of Mercury on an Eagle

Name: Roman Bronze Statuette of Mercury on an Eagle
SKU: CF-67
Price: 495.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£ 495.00

A fine Roman bronze statuette depicting the god Mercury as a youth riding on the eagle of Jupiter. The eagle is presented perched, with its head turned to the right. Mercury, upon the back of the eagle, wears a petasos, a wide brimmed hat, commonly worn by travellers, farmers, and hunters. He also wears a chlamys around his shoulders and draped down his back. In his left arm, the god holds a caduceus, leaning his right arm against the neck of the eagle, and holding in his right hand, a circular accoutrement. Hermes’ facial features have been rendered with thought, with small downward recesses for eyes and a prominent nose. Some hair peaks out from under his petasos. The figures have been depicted naturalistically in the round, with much attention place on the plumage of the eagle. The statuette has been mounted on a custom made stand.

Dimensions without stand: L 3.1cm x W 1.9cm x H 5.5cm

Date: Circa 1st-2nd Century AD
Provenance: From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Condition: Fine condition. A beautiful dark patina has developed to the surface. Some visible remnants of glue where the statuette has been attached to the stand.

SOLD

SKU: CF-67 Category: Deities & Demi-Gods Tags: Animals, Birds, Male Figures, Religious

Description
Additional information

The messenger god Mercury was adopted into the Ancient Roman pantheon of gods, from Greek religion, as early as the 4th century BC. Merged with the Etruscan god Turms, Mercury was the god of trade, of boundaries, of shepherds, and the messenger god, relaying messages between gods, between gods and mortals, and guiding souls between worlds. Worship of Mercury/Hermes can be traced back to the 15th-13th century BC, with his name found on Linear B inscriptions. Often depicted in Roman art as youthful and beardless, much of his iconography was carried over from the Greek tradition into the Roman, including the winged sandals (talaria), hat (petasos), the purse, and the caduceus. As a messenger and herald, Mercury/Hermes appears in numerous mythological episodes, such as the killing of Argos.

To find out more about Roman gods, please visit our relevant blog post: Roman Gods in Mythology.