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Once nude Hermes statue now covered in old cloth
The 2-meter-tall statue is no longer nude after the lower half of his body was covered by a light brown and green piece of old fabric.
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Cover up: The Hermes statue in the Harmoni area in Central Jakarta is seen draped with a piece of cloth around the waist on Monday. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
I
n Greek mythology, Hermes is the god of trade, travelers, sports and messengers. He is often depicted in statues and pictures in the way Greek gods and goddesses are usually depicted: naked.
But for one Hermes replica statue at Harmoni bridge in Gambir, Central Jakarta, he now looks a bit different. The 2-meter-tall statue is no longer nude after the lower half of his body was covered by a light brown and green piece of old fabric.
Photos of the covered Hermes statue circulated on Monday, raising eyebrows as to whether it was part of an orchestrated move by the city administration to cover up naked statues. Concerns were raised following the brouhaha over mermaid statues in Putri Duyung resort in Ancol Dreamland Park, North Jakarta, that were covered up with kemben (golden wraps), in a move that park operator city-owned property developer PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol claimed to beautify the statues and adjust them to “eastern norms”.
Read also: Ancol covers nude mermaid statues
But cultural heritage division head at the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency Iyan Iskandar said there was no order from the city administration to cover up statues in the capital.
“Probably, it was done by someone for fun. People can be so random,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
He said the strategic location of the statue between Jl. Juanda and Jl. Veteran might invite passersby to touch it.
