Rp 135m for Hermes replica

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has allocated Rp 135 million for a replica of a statue of the Greek god Hermes to be placed on Harmoni bridge in Central Jakarta at the end of March, a city official said.

It is to replace a statue of Hermes which graced the bridge for more than 90 years.

The head of the city museum and restoration agency's program division, Indro Kusumo, said on Monday the replica would be made from bronze, which would make the cost quite high.

"Previously the replica was to be made from a fiber material so that the cost would be cheaper, but Governor Sutiyoso said bronze would be preferable so that the statue could withstand wind and sunlight in the open area," he said.

He said the statue would be made by sculpture Arsono from the Joglo area in West Jakarta. Arsono is a well-known expert on busts.

"If everything goes well, the work will be completed at the end of March and then we can place the replica at the original place on Harmoni bridge," Indro said.

The two-meter bronze Hermes statue, which was erected in 1905 during the Dutch colonial era, became headline news after it was reported missing on Aug. 22. 1999, whereas it received little public attention previously.

Three days after the report, the city public works agency announced that it had the statue. The statue had started to tilt toward Ciliwung River, which passes under Harmoni bridge, and the agency had removed it. One of its heels had broken off.

The original statue is to be displayed at the Jakarta Historical Museum in West Jakarta.

Indro said the replica would be more detailed than the real statue in that it would have two wings as well as two snakes on the stick held by Hermes.

"Actually, no one knows what the real figure of the Hermes statue on Harmoni bridge looked like before the stick it held was damaged couple of years ago. That's why we will copy the original statue in Italy after consulting with historian Adolf Heuken," Indro said.

Contacted separately on Monday, sculpture Arsono said the original Hermes statue had been cleaned up and the bronze could be seen.

"The statue's gold color is not that authentic as it is made from bronze. We are now cleaning it with a special substance which can fade the paint without damaging the real color," said the 60-year-old man.

He added that the statue's broken heel would also be repaired. (ind)