Roman, A Roman rosso antico marble herm head of a god, circa 1st - 2nd century AD

The herm head probably depicting Hermes, the messenger of the gods and traditionally the god of boundaries. The deity is shown in maturity, with a long beard and flowing moustache, his hair curling around his foreheads and bound with a diadem. The almond-shaped eyes recessed originally for inlay.

Provenance

UK private collection, 19th century
With Tomasso Brothers, Leeds, 2003
With Charles Ede Limited, London, 2004
UK private collection

Literature

Hermes was closely associated with boundaries, and his protective image in the form of a bearded head set on a rectangular stone shaft was placed at doorways and at strategic points along the roadside. For a similar type in marble cf. Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek, inv. no. 565. For a typology of bearded herm-heads see L. Curtius, Zeus und Hermes, 1. Ergh. RM, 1931. For herm busts made of coloured stones see H. Gregarek, Kölner Jahrbuch, vol. 32, 1999, p. 105f.

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Sculpture

Provenance

Literature