Marble Statue of Hermes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2007

Marble statue of Hermes
Roman, Imperial Period, 1st or 2nd century AD.
Copy or adaptation of a Greek statue of the late 5th or 4th century BC

Accession # 65.204

Hermes, the Greek messenger god, is identified by his short cloak and the remains of his herald's staff that is visible along his upper arm. Statues like this one, based on Classical Greek prototypes, served as attractive decorative objects in Roman villas while also creating an atmosphere of cultural refinement.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.