Atalante Hermes
Greek: Ερμής της Αταλάντης
The statue in the NAMA
Year2nd century AD
CatalogueNo 240
MediumMarble
MovementClassical
SubjectYouth as Hermes
Dimensions190 cm (75 in)
ConditionNearly intact
LocationNational Archaeological Museum, Athens
OwnerGreece
Websitehttps://www.namuseum.gr/

Atalante Hermes or Hermes of Atalante (Greek: Ερμής της Αταλάντης) is a marble funerary statue of a youth depicted as Hermes, the god of messengers and psychopomp of the dead. It was excavated in the town of Atalante in Phthiotis, in Greece. It is now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Athens with accession number 240.[1][2]

History

The statue was created as a funerary sculpture and placed in the tomb of a youth (hence the imagery of Hermes, a chthonic god) around the second century AD. It is either a copy of a statue of the fourth century BC, or heavily repeating that style.[2] It was discovered in a small town called Atalante, after which it took its name, in Central Greece and was moved to Athens in the 1860s.

Description

Hermes of Atalanta is preserved nearly intact, missing only the fingers of his left hand and the index finger of his right hand. It is over lifesize at 190 cm, and made of Pentelic marble.

Hermes/the youth stands in contrapposto, supporting most of his weight on his left foot, while his right leg is relaxed.[1][2] He bears a chlamys draped over his left shoulder and wound over his arm, then falling on his back and hanging on the tree-trunk support, so that Hermes is mostly naked.[1][2] Hermes's left arm is bent at the elbow, while his right one hangs freely at his side.[1] He would have held objects in both hands, neither of which survive; his left hand probably held a caduceus, Hermes's most recognisable symbol, while his right a pouch.[1]

His head has thick and tousled short locks of hair, and it slightly turned to his right.[2] Although it was produced in the second century AD, it has some clear Lysippean characteristics, meaning it was either deliberately made in that style, or it is a copy of a fourth century BC statue.[2] It has some common characteristics with similar statues of Hermes found in Andros (Hermes of Andros) and Aegium (Hermes of Aegium), only this one has been described as precise but also harsh and formal, lacking the naturalness, delicacy and grace of that of the one from Andros, though superior to the one from Aegium.[1]

See also

References

Bibliography

  • Kaltsas, Nikolaos (2002). Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Los Angeles, US: The J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 0-89236-686-9.
  • Kavvadias, Panagiotis (1890). Γλυπτά του Εθνικού Μουσείου [Sculptures of the National Museum] (in Greek). Athens, Greece: S. K. Vlastos.
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