Roman Marble Herm of Hercules - ex Royal Athena

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 13, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-02-13 10:00:00 2020-02-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
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• Lot Description
  Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. An incredibly preserved marble herm of Hercules (Heracles), here depicted as very youthful, with an almost childlike face, deepset eyes under a heavy brow, a broad nose, and a full mouth. His hair features tight curls, visible underneath a cloak decorated with leaf-like motifs. Below his athletic neck, resting on his collarbone and carved in relief, are the paws of a lion, tied tightly to form a cloak - one of Hercules' most famous attributes. The marble the herm is carved from is of very high quality, with an almost pure white surface - though when originally carved, it would have been brightly painted and there are some remains of original pigment visible, especially on the head. Size: 6.9" H (17.5 cm)
  
  Hercules was a massively popular hero in ancient Rome (with much of it derived, as so many elements of Roman culture were, from Greece - entering Roman culture by way of Etruria). Both Mark Antony and the Emperor Commodus considered him to be a personal patron god. The story of Hercules and the Nemean Lion was retold over and over again, in plays, painting on vases, and sculptures. As part of his labors, Hercules was sent by King Eurystheus to bring him the skin of a lion that was terrorizing the town of Nemea. Upon discovering that weapons would not work on the beast, he tracked it to its lair and strangled it.
  
  Herm or herma are sculptures with a head and sometimes a torso and male genitals carved on a square base. They are thought to derive from the ancient Greek practice of worshipping divinities that were in the form of cairns or columns of stone or wood. These later evolved into adding a head and phallus to the column. Many herma are of Hermes himself, but others - both gods like Hercules and real figures like Socrates and Plato - are known. Sculptures like this one were apotropaic and kept in many places - at crossroads, in temples, in public places, and in homes. This figure would have been protective for its owner and, given its remarkable artistry and beautiful material, would have been a highly prized item kept in an elite Roman home.
  
  Published: Royal-Athena Galleries, Art of the Ancient World, New York, 1995, p. 71, no 226
  
  Provenance: private New York, USA collection; ex-Royal-Athena Gallery, New York, New York, USA, acquired in 1985; ex-Joseph S. Melchione collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #152811

  Condition

  Great preservation of detail. Light wear commensurate with age including some small pits and deposits on the surface.
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