A BYZANTINE MOSAIC PANEL

CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.

Details

A BYZANTINE MOSAIC PANEL
CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
Composed of multicoloured tesserae on a cream ground, depicting the seated god Hermes, wearing his winged cap, a toga with red clavi and a red chlamys fastened at each shoulder with a disc brooch, holding his caduceus in the crook of his left arm, his right arm held out, pointing with crooked finger, a wooded hill behind, with remains of border around top and right edge, inscribed in Greek above his head 'Hermes'
69 x 39 in. (175 x 99 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection, UK, acquired Galerie Serres, Paris, June 1993.

Further details

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Lot Essay

The use of Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods in pagan mythology, would suggest that this mosaic was originally placed in a domestic, rather than a public setting, as ruling elites continued to indulge their penchant for pagan subject matter in their homes during this period, when such was no longer permitted in religious buildings.

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