Roman provincial work of the second century CE
This battered relief is a rough Roman imitation of the Hermes of Praxiteles from Olympia. The original is carved in coarse-grained red sandstone, and it was made in the outer proviinces of the Roman empire; found near Landau in south-western Germany, it is a far cry from the work of the Greco-Roman sculptors in fine white marble.
On his arm Hermes has a child holding a caduceus, and a bunch of grapes in the other hand. A rural scene is in the background, with a cockerel and a goat.
Number:
498
Material:
Red sandstone (original); plaster (our cast)
Location of Original:
Städtisches Reiß-Museum Mannheim, Inv. Haug 11.
Size:
1.6m high
Date:
C2 CE
Provenance:
Found in 1767 in Godramstein near Landau