Roman Bronze Steelyard Weight - Bust of Mercury

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

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