19th Century Bronze Recumbent Hermes Child Statues - A Pair

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Title: Bronze Recumbent Hermes Child Statues - a Pair.
Period: 19th Century.
Maker: Unknown (unmarked).
Material: Bronze.

Description: Offered is … Read more Title: Bronze Recumbent Hermes Child Statues - a Pair.
Period: 19th Century.
Maker: Unknown (unmarked).
Material: Bronze.

Description: Offered is a pair of cast bronze child statues, each in a recumbent pose. The base is a low relief floral ornamented bench with pillow atop. The figures are representative of Greek Hermes, herald of the Gods, or Roman Mercury, messenger of the Gods. One figure is accented with a winged helmet. The other figure holds a caduceus. He ruled over wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery.

Note: Reflecting upon Victorian taste, the majority of figural nude representations is ornamented with a fig leaf over the genitalia, a common accent feature given that nudity was considered shocking and attitudes to sex and sexuality have been very different in the past, whether in ancient Greece, Renaissance Florence or Victorian Britain. See less