Hermes

Summary

The herm is made of Pentelic marble. The fringe and eyelids are chipped. The point of the full beard has been broken off, as has the front of the herm. The eyes were originally inlaid: the whites in marble have survived whereas the iris and pupil are lost. Traces of dark paint in the eyes of the herm can be seen with the naked eye.

Description of object

The bearded man has smooth, regular facial features, a beard of fine locks with a symmetrical, curled moustache and long hair which falls down the back with a lock in front of each shoulder. A fillet holds down the back with a lock in front of each shoulder. Another fillet holds the fringe of two rows of snail curls in place. The bearded male head on a bust intended for insertion in a herm shaft shows that the subject is the god Hermes. The surviving part of the bust shows the holes cut for the herm’s rudimentary arms.

Choice of methods

Visual examination

• Macroscopic

Marble identification method

• Naked eye

Bibliography

F. Poulsen (1951), Catalogue of Ancient Sculpture in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, cat. no. 24.

M. Moltesen (2005), Catalogue. Imperial Rome III. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, cat. no. 195.