Written by Kiani Ned, Marketing Intern
Unknown Artist, Mercury, mid-20th Century, bronze, Gift of the Family of Helen Wilcox and Walter H. Marshall Sr., AG.2012.6.1.
In the center of the Olmsted Garden, a beautiful bronze sculpture of Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, poetry, luck, trickery, and the guider of souls to the Underworld, stands suspended in a moment of time. Mercury’s body is extending forward and upward as though he is reaching for something, or as if he is about to take off in flight.
In sculptural history, Mercury is often visually depicted as similar to Hermes, the Greek messenger god. Statues of Mercury usually include winged shoes (talaria), a winged hat (petasos), and carrying a herald’s staff (caduceus).
