Code: 12158
This is a delightful ancient Roman bronze seal box of the god Mercury, dating to the 1st - 2nd century AD. The box is oval in shape and has a hinged lid. It is as excavated and the iron pin has seal the lid shut with corrosion. The lid is decorated with a bust of Mercury (Hermes) wearing a winged petasos and with his caduceus wand behind his shoulder. In ancient Rome Mercury was the god of financial gain, commerce, merchants and travellers. As such, this is a nice subject to protect the wax seal of a merchant, as the contents travelled across the empire! The box is intact and has a nice dark green patina.
OBJECT: Seal Box
CULTURE: Roman
DATE: c. 1st - 2nd century AD
MATERIAL: Bronze
SIZE: 23.1mm x 13mm x 8mm
WEIGHT: 3.9 grams
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a Private Collection, Graz, Austria.
