Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0788
Roman Bronze Statuette of Mercury
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (66 grams total, 85 mm including stand).
Standing nude with winged petasos to the head, in contrapposto pose; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Literature
Cf. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 49, for type.
Footnotes
Mercury was the god of trade and industry, whose principle shrine in the city of Rome was at the Circus Maximus. Equated with the Greek Hermes he became the god of tradesmen and merchants. He was also the god of thieves and was associated with healing, mainly in Gaul, where he had a number of important temples connected to sacred springs, This statuette was probably a votive offering to one of this temples.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Bronze Artefact Group
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Including bow brooch parts, belt fittings, silver coins, bowl mount and other items. 420 grams total, 5-83 mm
Found Wiltshire, UK, before 1974. -
Large Roman Glass Vessel
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Spherical in form with shallow dimple base, short cut neck, circumferential incised bands to the shoulder and equator. 126 grams, 14 cm
From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK. He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s. -
Roman and Other Mixed Glass Bead Group
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £91
Including spherical, annular and other types including some 'trade wind beads'. 140 grams total, 1-9 mm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.
