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A stunning 19th century bronze of Mercury after Giambologna of large proportions by the foundry of Georgio Sommer, c.1880. Mercury is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, communication, travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he is also the guide of souls to the underworld.
Giorgio Sommer (Frankfurt, 2nd September 1834 – Naples, 7th August 1914) was a German photographer who worked mainly in Italy. He was also successful as a producer of replicas of antique works of art. Sommer, who came from Frankfurt am Main, completed a commercial apprenticeship before switching to photography. In 1856/57 he went to Rome, a year later to Naples, where he opened his own photo studio in 1857.
Giorgio Sommer became extremely successful as a photographer and publisher. He wrote contemporary history with numerous authentic photographs of catastrophes and volcanic eruptions.
From the 1870s he also produced replicas of antique works of art in bronze and terracotta (later also in marble). The replicas, in reduced statuette format and in original size, were widely distributed, not least thanks to their high cast quality, and were also offered through the illustrated printed catalogs of the "Fonderia Artistica Sommer". Amongst his productions, there is a life-size replica of the seated Hermes from Herculaneum in the Berlin Collection of Antiquities."
This example is of excellent proportions and is mounted upon an attractive red marble base. The work has some light signs of wear commensurate with age and has later material to the base. Overall the work remains in a very good condition with a great patina throughout.
Dimensions
Height: 56cm
Width: 24cm
Depth: 11cm (at base)
Weight: 3.65kg
Delivery
UK Mainland: FREE
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