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Head of Hermes

Greco-Roman
Imperial Period
about A.D. 100–150 (after a Greek 4th century prototype)

Medium/Technique Marble from Mt. Pentelikon near Athens
Dimensions Height: 28 cm (11 in.)
Credit Line Benjamin and Lucy Rowland Collection
Accession Number1974.522
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsSculpture

Catalogue Raisonné Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 157; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 111 (additional published references).
DescriptionHead and most of neck of Hermes wearing a petasos (without wings). Roman copy of a Greek prototype of around 350 B.C.
Nose (end at break), lips, and chin have been restored in plaster.

Scientific Analysis:
Harvard Lab No. HI740: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.39 / delta18O -4.61, Attribution - Pentelikon, Justification - Fine grained marble.
ProvenanceBy 1971: Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Rowland, Jr. Collection (first loaned to MFA, May 3, 1971); by 1973: Benjamin Rowland, Jr. Estate; by 1974: Mrs. Benjamin Rowland, Jr., Collection; gift of Mrs. Benjamin Rowland, Jr., to MFA, November 13, 1974