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CIRCA THIRD QUARTER OF THE 1ST CENTURY A.D.
Details
A ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF MERCURY
Circa Third Quarter of the 1st Century A.D.
Inspired by an original by Polykleitos, the god superbly modelled, standing with his weight on his straightened right leg, his left leg relaxed with his knee bent, nude but for a mantle fastened at his right shoulder and draped diagonally across his chest, the garment pulled across his back and wrapped around his left fore-arm, and falling along his left side, his right arm extended forward, bent at the elbow, his hand held with the palm open, the now-missing fingers angled downward, his left hand emerging from beneath the drapery, his index finger originally extended along the shaft of the now-missing caduceus, the right nipple of his muscular torso once inlaid, his head angled down and to his right, his hair a series of short, comma-shaped curls, the oval face with a round chin and thin lips, the lips perhaps once over-laid, a small fold below the bottom lip, the silver inlaid eyes with recessed pupils, wearing winged sandals which are tied in a bow at the top of each foot, the wings with finely incised feathers
8¼ in. (21 cm) high
Circa Third Quarter of the 1st Century A.D.
Inspired by an original by Polykleitos, the god superbly modelled, standing with his weight on his straightened right leg, his left leg relaxed with his knee bent, nude but for a mantle fastened at his right shoulder and draped diagonally across his chest, the garment pulled across his back and wrapped around his left fore-arm, and falling along his left side, his right arm extended forward, bent at the elbow, his hand held with the palm open, the now-missing fingers angled downward, his left hand emerging from beneath the drapery, his index finger originally extended along the shaft of the now-missing caduceus, the right nipple of his muscular torso once inlaid, his head angled down and to his right, his hair a series of short, comma-shaped curls, the oval face with a round chin and thin lips, the lips perhaps once over-laid, a small fold below the bottom lip, the silver inlaid eyes with recessed pupils, wearing winged sandals which are tied in a bow at the top of each foot, the wings with finely incised feathers
8¼ in. (21 cm) high
Provenance
Ugo Donati, Lugano, before 1967
Literature
Beck, et al., Polyklet, Der Bildhaur der Griechischen Klassik, no. 188, p. 654-655.
I. Jucker, "Alipes Mercurius" in Quaderni Ticenesi di Numismatica e Antichitá Classiche II (1982), p. 107ff, Taf. 1-4.
I. Jucker, "Alipes Mercurius" in Quaderni Ticenesi di Numismatica e Antichitá Classiche II (1982), p. 107ff, Taf. 1-4.
Exhibited
Polyklet, Der Bildhauer der Griechischen Klassik, Ausstellung im Liebieghaus, Museum alter Plastik, Frankfurt am Main, 17 October 1990-20 January 1991.