# Statuette of Mercury

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2nd-century family shrine statue of Mercury/Hermes in the MET

Statuette of Mercury Type bronze statuette Material Bronze Height 12.7 cm Created 2nd century CE Present location Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Identification 2023.561 Culture Roman https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/899859

The **Statuette of Mercury** is a [Roman](/source/Roman_Empire) [bronze](/source/Bronze) [statuette](/source/Statuette) of the god [Hermes](/source/Hermes) created in the 2nd century CE. Acquired by the [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art) in 2023, it is among a set of similar set of figurines acquired throughout the museum's history to be of either [Gallic](/source/Gaul) or [Italic](/source/Italian_Peninsula) origin that likely served as a figure of worship in family household shrines.[1][2]

## Provenance

The statuette was first documented in 1873 in the collection of [Francis Cook, 1st Viscount of Monserrate](/source/Francis_Cook%2C_1st_Viscount_of_Monserrate). Thereupon in 1882, it was listed in the catalogue *Ancient Marbles in Great Britain* by [Adolf Michaelis](/source/Adolf_Michaelis).[1][3]

In 1901, it was passed on to Wyndham Francis Cook (1860–1905), and thence by familial descent was sold at auction by [Spink & Son](/source/Spink_%26_Son) on 14 July 1925. It was in the private collection of [Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma](/source/Patricia_Knatchbull%2C_2nd_Countess_Mountbatten_of_Burma) until 24 March 2021, whereupon it was acquired by dealer Charles Ede via [Sotheby's](/source/Sotheby's) to which the MET purchased the statuette from in 2023.[1][4]

## Description

Hermes/Mercury is depicted as a naked young man, with his signature [petasos](/source/Petasos) and [talaria](/source/Talaria). Standing forth on his right leg, his right hand produces a purse, while a [chlamys](/source/Chlamys) is draped over his left shoulder. A [caduceus](/source/Caduceus) was likely once present on the figure but it is no longer present.[4][5]

[Versailleux](/source/Versailleux) Mercury, discovered in 1882, acquired by the MET in 1906.

The purse, or money pouch indicates fortune, and would be venerated in a household shrine. A similar statue in the MET (06.1057) was discovered in 1882 in [Versailleux](/source/Versailleux), [France](/source/France), depicting Mercury in a similar manner.[6]

The [Hermes Criophorus](/source/Hermes_Criophorus_(Athens)), based on the Greek original by [Polykleitos](/source/Polykleitos)

The god is posed in a balanced and casual position, the [contrapposto](/source/Contrapposto), indicative of many other statuettes manufactured at the time in the 2nd century.[7] They were modelled on the [Greek originals](/source/Greek_sculpture) like made by [Polykleitos](/source/Polykleitos), such as that of the [Hermes Criophorus](/source/Hermes_Criophorus_(Athens)), now at the [National Archaeological Museum, Athens](/source/National_Archaeological_Museum%2C_Athens).[1][5][8]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) ["Statuette of Mercury | Roman | Imperial"](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/899859). *The Metropolitan Museum of Art*. Retrieved 2024-06-05.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Department of Greek and Roman Art Newsletter (2023 Volume XII)"](https://www.charlesede.com/usr/library/documents/press/11175-met-publication.pdf) (PDF). *[Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art)*. 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Michaelis, Adolf (1882). *Ancient Marbles in Great Britain*. [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge): [Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press). p. 628.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) ["A Roman Bronze Figure of Hermes, circa 2nd Century A.D. | The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma | 2021"](https://www.sothebys.com/buy/36b64816-9776-41c3-baf2-8bbea20c77af/lots/e82cf9e8-69b2-477f-a7a4-fcec468cecc8). *Sotheby's*. Retrieved 2024-06-05.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_5-1) Smith, Cecil Harcourt; Hutton, C. A. (Caroline Amy); Cook, Wyndham Francis (1908). [*Catalogue of the antiquities : (Greek, Etruscan and Roman) in the collection of the late Wyndham Francis Cook, Esqure*](http://archive.org/details/catalogueofantiq00smituoft). Robarts - University of Toronto. London : Privately Printed.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Bronze statuette of Mercury | Roman | Early Imperial"](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247475). *The Metropolitan Museum of Art*. Retrieved 2024-06-05.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Bibliothèque numérique de l'INHA"](https://bibliotheque-numerique.inha.fr/). *bibliotheque-numerique.inha.fr* (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-05.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Kaltsás, Nikólaos (2007). *To Ethnikó archaiologikó mouseío*. Athī́na: Eurobank EFG Koinōfelés ídryma I. S. Látsī. p. 322. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-960-89339-1-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-960-89339-1-0).

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v t e Sculptures of Hermes-Mercury Greek Herm Hermathena Hermes and the Infant Dionysus Hermes Logios Hermes Fastening his Sandal Xenokrateia Relief Roman Atalante Hermes Bema of Phaidros Hermes Criophorus Hermes Ludovisi Hermes of Aegium Hermes of Andros Hermes of Messene Hermes of Pio-Clementino Marcellus as Hermes Logios Proserpina sarcophagus Statuette of Mercury Modern Golden Boy Mercury (Duquesnoy)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Statuette of Mercury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statuette_of_Mercury) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statuette_of_Mercury?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.