Hermes

The wings identify this youthful deity as Hermes, the messenger of the gods, his face framed by his famous curls. This is a transformation of the head of a statue of Hercules produced by the Greek sculptor Polycleitus in the second half of the 5th century B.C. Although the wings change the figure’s identity, and his turned head and the conception of his hairstyle have also been altered, this copy from the early Antonine period clearly references the Classical bronze model.