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| Roman Empire Portrait Herm of Youth as Mercury ca. AD 150-170 marble British Museum |
HERM – In Greek religion, sacred objects of stone connected with the cult of Hermes, the fertility god. . . . With the development of artistic taste and the conception of the gods as having human form these objects tended to be replaced either by statues or by pillars that were generally square and tapering toward the bottom so as to suggest the human figure. These were usually surmounted by the bearded head of Hermes (hence the name) and had an erect phallus. They were used not only as cult objects but also for a variety of purposes, for example as milestones or boundary marks. They were regarded with respect, if not actually worshipped. . . . Herms also occur in Roman sculpture and may have heads of the forest god Silvanus or the chief god, Jupiter Terminus [hence the Latinized near-synonym of TERM]. In later times, all manner of fanciful herms were used as ornaments: both single and double herms existed, and the heads were not always those of gods. A tapered rectangular stone post topped with a portrait bust is now called a herm [or term]; it is a standard element of architecture in the classical style.
– Encyclopædia Britannica (1911)
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| Jacques Prévost after Polidoro da Caravaggio Satyrs as Terms 1535 engraving Victoria & Albert Museum |
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| Anonymous Netherlandish Artist after Cornelis Bos Herm encased by Strapwork Panel ca. 1535-40 engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Jean Mignon Term in the form of a Woman with a Musical Instrument ca. 1535-55 etching Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Jean Mignon Term in the form of an Old Man warming his Hands ca. 1535-55 etching Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Agostino Veneziano Two Terms after the Antique 1536 engraving British Museum |
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| Agostino Veneziano Two Terms after the Antique 1536 engraving British Museum |
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| Agostino Veneziano Hercules Terms after the Antique 1536 engraving British Museum |
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| Anonymous French Artist Bearded Male Term ca. 1545-65 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous French Artist Bearded Male Term ca. 1545-65 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous French Artist Bearded Male Term ca. 1545-65 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous French Artist Female Term encased by Strapwork Panel ca. 1545-65 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Giulio Bonasone after Polidoro da Caravaggio Terms representing Nymph and Sylvanus ca. 1545-50 engraving Victoria & Albert Museum |
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| Giulio Bonasone after Polidoro da Caravaggio Terms representing Dejaneira and Hercules ca. 1545-50 engraving Victoria & Albert Museum |