Hermes fastening his sandal at the Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Vienna

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The text describes a famous ancient Greek sculpture, "Sandal-tying Hermes," which is attributed to the sculptor Lysippos from the late 4th century BC. The statue depicts a young man, approximately life-size, who is in the process of tying one sandal while supporting the foot on a rock and listening as though he has received instructions from above. The sculpture type has been known in many replicas, and its identification as Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, fastening his winged sandals, has prevailed after the discovery of a replica in Perge (modern-day Turkey) in 1977. The statue is believed to be one of Lysippos' most famous works, along with portraits of Alexander the Great and representations of gods and athletes. The text also mentions that the sculpture type was taken up by other artists, including Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in 1744 and François Rude in 1828. Rude's version shows an influence from Giambologna's famous Mercury (c. 1580; Florence, Bargello). In addition to the original sculpture, several replicas and variants have been identified, including sculptures with unrelated heads and those that have been thoroughly resurfaced. A plaster cast incorporating the features of each version is conserved in the Glytothek, Munich, while a bronze casting is in the Stadtmuseum, Stettin. The text also describes three surviving torsos, including one in unfinished state, which has retained its head and escaped the eighteenth-century Roman restorers. This torso is now conserved at the Acropolis museum, Athens. Finally, the text mentions that the sculpture type was known from appearances on Roman coins, where Hermes' characteristic staff, the caduceus, also appears. A copy of the sculpture in Munich and another in Tivoli near Rome are both believed to have been part of a form of symmetrical ornamentation of an architectural complex. Overall, the text provides a detailed description of the "Sandal-tying Hermes" sculpture, its history, and its influence on other artists throughout the centuries.