Votive relief for Hermes and the nymphs

Most Classical votive reliefs were made in Attika, and only a few non-Attic examples are known to us. They usually take the form of a long rectangle with the top edge figured as eaves or a roof, often decorated with palmette antefixes. Each relief would have been affixed to a post by tenon – still preserved in the relief from Oropos (cat. no. 46) – and set up in a sanctuary.
These reliefs were often dedicated to river gods, especially Acheloos, represented in the form of a human-headed bull. Sometimes only the foreparts of Acheloos are shown, as in the lower right corner of this relief, or he may be depicted as a mask (cf. cat. no. 44). Land-dwelling gods could accompany the river gods: here Pan, recognizable by his two goat legs, sits on the edge of a stone grotto above Acheloos. He was surely piping on his syrinx to begin the dance. Three nymphs led by Hermes recall the role of Acheloos as head of the nymphs. As mortals, the people who dedicated such reliefs were rendered on a smaller scale. In this case, the bearded worshipper at left raises his right hand in prayer and approaches the divine procession.
Hermes wears only a short mantle, the chlamys, pinned at his right shoulder and draped over his left arm. A hat is visible at the base of his neck, while his shoes and perhaps kerykeion (herald’s staff) in his right hand were added in paint. He holds the wrist of one nymph and the others do the same. Their linked hands, fluttering garments, and sharp turn of the head indicate that they are dancing. The leftmost nymph wears her hair high on her head, while the next wears a close-fitting cap. Their poses too are varied: only that of the central nymph echoes Hermes’, both of them looking out of the relief. Certain qualities of the relief recall great large-scale sculpture of ca. 400 BC: the sense of graceful, rhythmic movement among the figures; the clarity of the composition; and the alternate play of bodies and clothing, an almost calligraphic underscoring of the rhythmic motion.
The unusual findspot on the Quirinal Hill in Rome has raised questions about the piece’s origins. Some have proposed that the relief was made in Southern Italy, based on the calligraphic handling of the drapery far beyond what we know of any Attic work. Others, however, believe that it is Attic, and that it was brought to Rome by its devoted owner.