Romano-Celtic Bronze Statuette of the God Mercury

Fragments of wall plaster with rendered surface painted with mainly Pompeii red, pale blue and white detailing; some with impression of timber laths to the reverse. 601 grams total, 4.5-10.6 cm



Acquired in the 19th century. Ex Jeger collection, Switzerland. UK gallery, early 2000s.

These small fragments, for analogies with the fragments of Pompeii, seem to belong to the second style of Roman painting, red panels representing highlight and shadow, decorated with vegetal interlaces. Some panels were probably framed by a red grenade fillet. A fragment shows alternate blue and red colour over a cream background, maybe pertinent to a socle.

Depicted as lar and modelled nude in a standing pose with the right hand resting on the handle of his club, left arms supporting the lionskin mantle; hair cut short and beard textured. 715 grams, 15.5 cm



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13295-255447.

The position of our statuette, belonging to the typology of ‘resting’ Hercules, is unconventional, probably belonging to a more archaic period prototype (Reinach, 1897, p.211,7). By the late 300s or early 200s B.C., the depiction of Herakles wearing the lion's skin over his head had gone out of favour in Greek art. A worshipper probably placed this statuette in a sanctuary as an offering to the deity, or in his house as a housekeeper and protector. The vast majority of the small Heracles statuettes are, of course, ex-votos, and the donors were most likely herdsmen practising transhumance, considering his function as protector of the flocks. Statuettes of the god found in provinces like Gallia, Britannia, or Pannonia might have been appealed to Italic soldiers serving further north and could easily have been carried with them on campaign.

Comprising an iridescent piriform body, tapering tubular neck with pinched and everted rolled rim. 9.44 grams, 84 mm



Acquired on the European art market in 2001.

Indented toilet bottles with long necks are rather common. In Western provinces of the Roman Empire they occur most frequently in and around the Rhineland. In the Eastern Part of the Empire, find places include Crete, Cyprus, Anatolia, Syria and Egypt.