Head of Hermes-Thoth
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.This colossal male head belonged originally to a standing cult statue of the god Hermes-Toth. In Hellenistic Egypt, the Greeks recognized the congruence of their god Hermes with Thoth, god of magic and writing, and subsequently the two gods were worshipped as one.
The winged diadem with a central pointed lotus leaf, which originally surmounted this head appears often on small-scale Roman bronzes of Hermes, but is highly unusual in marble sculpture. The figure’s deep-set eyes were originally inlaid with sheet bronze for the eyelashes, marble for the whites of the eyes, and glass or colored stone for the irises and pupils.
The winged diadem with a central pointed lotus leaf, which originally surmounted this head appears often on small-scale Roman bronzes of Hermes, but is highly unusual in marble sculpture. The figure’s deep-set eyes were originally inlaid with sheet bronze for the eyelashes, marble for the whites of the eyes, and glass or colored stone for the irises and pupils.
Artwork Details
- Title: Head of Hermes-Thoth
- Period: Late Hellenistic
- Date: 2nd–1st century BC
- Culture: Greek
- Medium: Marble
- Dimensions: 17 in., 100 lb. (43.2 cm, 45.4 kg)
- Classification: Stone Sculpture
- Credit Line: Private Collection
- Object Number: L.2015.63
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art