Hermes (Mercury) at the Louvre museum, Paris

cults3d

The Ludovisi Hermes, previously known as Mercurio Oratore ("Mercury the Orator"), is a Hellenistic sculpture depicting the god Hermes in his guise as Psychopompus. Crafted from Italic marble, this Roman replica from the 1st century AD closely emulates an assumed bronze original from the 5th century BC attributed to Phidias at around 440 BC or alternatively referred to as "Myronic." Its model marks one of the earliest sculptural portrayals of Hermes as beardless and youthful. The Ludovisi collection secured this acquisition through Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi.