After the antique: Bust of Hermes, brown patinated bronze, H. Jacquet fils, Frankfurt am Main, late 19th C.

H 32,5 cm

Hermes is a statue possibly made by the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles. The statue was discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera at Olympia, Greece. It is now in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. The statue was probably made in the 4th century BC. This date is based on a remark by the 2nd century Greek traveller Pausanias (link). The discovery of the sculpture made the theme very popular in the last quarter of the 19th C.