Bust of Hermes

Bust of Hermes or a mortal in the guise of Mercury, recognised by the well preserved petasos with wings. Bartman commented on the generic quality of the face and the impropability that it was a portrait. It is narrow in proportions but has an intense gaze, a high but regular brow and a small mouth. It is overall a Mercury of a young age. His hair is in thick curls, with each curl carving into a near circle with a deep hole in the middle. The treatment of the curls is unusual for antiquity as is the combination of large holes with rich plastic volumes. It is therefore possible that the work relates more to later works of Greek sculpture because of this strong chiaroscuro effect, characteristic of Hellenistic and later periods. The face but not the hair were chemically treated. There is breakage only on some of the front curls and the front and the upper part of the petasos, the upper part of the wings of petasos and the side of right nostril.