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Source Description
The wings (one missing) on the head of this figure identify it as representing Mercury, the messenger of the gods. It is exquisitely detailed and larger than most statuettes made for household worship, suggesting that it was prominently displayed within the villa of a wealthy Roman family. The hairstyle dates the piece to the mid 1st century, when artists were still very much influenced by the Classical style of Greek art. His left hand would have held the "caduceus," or herald's staff, that is his attribute (familiar today as a medical symbol).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
25406
label
Mercury
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
25406
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Mercury
description
The wings (one missing) on the head of this figure identify it as representing Mercury, the messenger of the gods. It is exquisitely detailed and larger than most statuettes made for household worship, suggesting that it was prominently displayed within the villa of a wealthy Roman family. The hairstyle dates the piece to the mid 1st century, when artists were still very much influenced by the Classical style of Greek art. His left hand would have held the "caduceus," or herald's staff, that is his attribute (familiar today as a medical symbol).
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
mid 1st century CE (Roman Imperial)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
figurines
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
30
height
12
depth
6
dimensionsRaw
H: 11 13/16 × W: 4 3/4 × D: 2 3/8 in. (30 × 12 × 6 cm)
Source extras
cul
Roman
dynasty
Julio-Claudian (?)-Flavian (?)
med
cast bronze with silver coat and inlay
creator_ids
6191
collection_ids
ROM
exhibition_ids
3012
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
1fb8c76dcf9a00e2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
85d407a5b9ec8235
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
839849479a4e0dc0
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
57fc8c4924546860
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
44199ba8dc4dd4c2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
530f34a5a57a4965
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
76fe11099ff35452
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no