Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A bronze Roman steelyard weight depicting the Roman god Mercury and cast via the lost wax (cire perdue) process. Dressed in a breast plate with a thick textured collar, the god is flanked by two intricately feathered wings that spring from his shoulders. Swirling curved grooves detail his luscious wavy hair, which is fashioned in a dramatic hairstyle, often indicative of the god, ending in a point above his head. His round face stares straight ahead and features deep-set eyes and parted lips. The thick loop found atop his head is from the object's use as a weight for a steelyard. Mottled green and brown patina envelops all sides of the composition and imbues it with a presentation evocative of ancient Rome. Size: 2.5" L x 1.5" W (6.4 cm x 3.8 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Mercury was one of the major Classical deities, the patron god of financial success and commerce, as well as eloquence and poetry. He was a trickster god and also acted as a psychopomp, leading souls to the underworld. Ovid wrote that Mercury also carried Morpheus's dreams from the valley of Somnus to sleeping humans. For these reasons, he came to be seen as the "keeper of boundaries," forming a bridge between the upper and lower worlds. He also fulfilled that role by acting as a messenger for the other gods.

Steelyard balances, called stateras, were used to weigh loads by moving a counterweight, such as this one, along the beam until it balanced and then the incised numeral was read. Vitruvius describes them and their function in his De Architectura, Book X, 3-4.

See an example of a full statera with a weight included that sold at Christie's London - 30 April 2008 - Lot 33.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Mark Goodstein collection, Explorer Ancient Art, New York, New York, USA; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, USA, before 2012

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#147470

Very nice condition with a shiny, dark patina and light encrustation on surface.