Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A gorgeous sculptural herm fragment carved in high relief from pale-yellow antico marble with faint red inclusions depicting Bacchus (Greek Dionysos), god of wine, theatre, and rapture. As a herm, it was an ornamental piece intended for display in a cabinet or recessed in a niche or wall. The god of wine is depicted in his elder years with a bushy beard, a recessed almond-shaped eye, and a rounded cheek bone beneath a wavy coiffure bound with a three-row fillet of tight corkscrews. Size: 2" W x 4" H (5.1 cm x 10.2 cm); 5.1" H (13 cm) on included custom stand.

Herm or herma are sculptures with a head, sometimes a torso, and male genitals carved at the appropriate height. 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 and real figures like Socrates and Plato - are known. Statues like this one were apotropaic and kept in many places - at crossroads, in temples, in public places, and in homes.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Sid Port collection, California, USA, 1980s

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.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#144209

This is a fragment of a larger sculpture. Minor nicks to neck, face, and hair, with light softening to some finer details, and minor encrustations. Light earthen deposits and root marks throughout.