Offering Bowl Depicting Mercury

Photograph of a silver offering bowl with a large, central medallion depicting Mercury, nude with caduceus, standing before a tall pedastal or altar. A tree, a chicken, and a goat are also shown.

Offering Bowl with a Medallion Depicting Mercury in a Rural Shrine

Medium:: Silver and gold

Dimensions:: H. 4.5 cm; Diam. (bowl) 21 cm (Diam. of foot 6 cm)

Context:: Berthouville, France

Date:: Roman, 175–225 CE

Inventory Number:: inv. 56.18

Lender:: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Tahnee Cracchiola © Getty-BnF

The Latin inscription, which was inset with gold letters in a bordered band around the central medallion, reads:

DEO MERC IVL SIBYLLA DSDD

Translation: To the god Mercury, Julia Sybilla gave this as a gift from her own resources.