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Herm of Hermes (Left profile)

Unknown

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

The bearded head of Hermes surmounts a type of statue called a herm&#8212a square pillar typically featuring a bust of the god and male genitalia. This example has lost several separately carved and added elements, including two short bars that projected from the sides at shoulder height and the genitalia from the front of the pillar.

The statue is modeled after the Hermes Propylaios carved by the Greek sculptor Alkamenes in 430–420 B.C., which stood at the entrance of the Athenian Acropolis. In Greek religion, herms served as protective images at boundaries, crossroads, and rural sanctuaries. During Roman times, however, they lost their religious significance and became a popular garden and courtyard ornament. This Roman version likely decorated the garden of a villa.

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  • Title: Herm of Hermes (Left profile)
  • Creator: Unknown
  • Date Created: second half of 1st century A.D.
  • Physical Dimensions: 149 × 24 × 21 cm (58 11/16 × 9 7/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
  • Type: Mythological figure
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Marble
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 79.AA.132
  • Culture: Roman
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California
  • Creator Display Name: Unknown
  • Classification: Sculpture (Visual Works)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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