Hermes in Warandepark, Brussels

myminifactory

Hermes is a renowned Olympian god in Greek mythology, son of Zeus and Maia, the Pleiad. He is the second youngest of the Olympian gods, famous for his exceptional skills in navigating transitions and boundaries. Hermes excels at moving swiftly between mortal and divine realms as a messenger and emissary of the gods, serving as an intercessor between mortals and the divine, and guiding souls into the afterlife. During the Hellenistic period, numerous depictions of Hermes emerged, often featuring notable figures of the time. By the 17th century, Hermes became a popular decorative piece or statue in gardens. Laurent Delvaux, a French sculptor born in Ghent in 1696 and passed away on February 24, 1778 in Nivelles, was a pupil of Pierre-Denis Plumier from Antwerp. In 1719, Delvaux joined Plumier in London, where they collaborated with Pieter Scheemakers in Plumier's studio. Their initial project was a commissioned sculpture for John Sheffield, the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby at Westminster Abbey in 1721-22. From 1723 to 1728, they worked together from their studio in Millbank, Westminster on tombs, monuments, and garden ornaments at Westminster Abbey. In 1730, Scheemakers returned to England after traveling to Rome with Delvaux in 1928 to study classical sculpture and master the art of working with marble. Delvaux remained in Rome until 1732 before returning to Nivelles. Delvaux received support from Charles of Lorraine, a prominent art enthusiast who sponsored several young artists at that time. Laurent Delvaux created numerous commissioned works for abbeys and European royal courts. Much of his work has been preserved and can still be seen in monasteries and museums across Belgium. Gilles-Lambert Godecharle was one of Delvaux's students. Parc de Bruxelles, also known as Brussels Park or Warandepark, is a city park situated in the heart of Brussels. The park spans approximately 13 hectares and features a symmetrical design located between rue Royale, rue de la Loi, Ducale, and Place des Palais. This park lies strategically between the Royal Palace and the Palace of the Nation, where the Federal Parliament of Belgium resides. The park is adorned with a large fountain, various busts and statues, neoclassical entrance gates, and a bandstand. Inside the Royal Park, about sixty images are displayed, the majority of which depict subjects from ancient mythology. Most of these images were brought to the park from elsewhere, particularly from the old ducal Royal Park, the castle of Tervuren, where they were relocated after the death of architect Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands. The images in the park have been impacted by war, vandalism, and pollution over time. Consequently, most of them have been replaced with copies. The most valuable original images are preserved at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, while damaged works and pieces of lesser quality are housed in the Maison du Roi Museum. Initially, the images were painted gray or color of French stone. However, under new aesthetic ideas introduced in 1921, the images were stripped of their paint. This object is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the world for public access free of charge. Scan The World is an open-source community effort. If you have interesting items nearby and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can participate.