Byzantine Mosaic Panel of Hermes

Private collection, UK, acquired Galerie Serres, Paris, June 1993

Mounted onto modern concrete base and metal frame. Returnable from a large metal base. Tesserae missing around all edges, as visible in illustration. With some tesserae missing over the cream background and over the left hand side in the cream/yellow section behind the figure. A few tesserae missing over the trees in background. A few tesserae missing over his drapery, one in his black hair and one in the corner of his left eyebrow.

The use of Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods in pagan mythology, would suggest that this mosaic was originally placed in a domestic, rather than a public setting, as ruling elites continued to indulge their penchant for pagan subject matter in their homes during this period, when such was no longer permitted in religious buildings.