File:Bacchus (Musgrave).jpg

English: "Penates (Household Gods) Dug Up at Devises in Our Belgium in the Year 1714, Table 5.

"6. Bacchus. Length: 4½ Inches. Weight: 4⁵⁄₁₆ oz.

"§. 6. The SIXTH appears to be Bacchus. For what is that Disk on the left, if not that which Horus—the Bacchus of the Egyptians, as is clear from the Archivist—usually adds? On the right he holds a Little Cup, perhaps full of Wine. I regard that there are also two Horns, which appear to have been produced in recent times and which are called the Insignia of Bacchus by Philostratus. There is more on Bacchus below."

Notes: "To the Most Noble Prince Frederick, the destined Royal Heir, Great Britain's hope, Delight, and most yearned for Spirit, son of the Most High George and grandson of the Most August George, William Musgrave, Fellow (?) of Exeter College, Oxford, of his own will and in Obedience to his Oath wished these here Penates, hidden by the Earth for 1500 years, to be dedicated.

"These Penates [found] by William Cadby, Gardener at Devizes, engraved on Brass and printed on Imperial Paper, are available for sale at the Booksellers Knapton in London, Clements in Oxford, and Yeo in Exeter. 1717."

The 1st figure in Musgrave's 2nd illustration of the Southbroom Hoard discovered outside Devizes, Wiltshire, in 1714. This cast bronze statue is now held by the British Museum (1811,0309.8). Musgrave identified it as Figure 6 (M6) while Durham categorized it as #334. Musgrave inexplicably identified the figure as Bacchus, despite the figure clearly being Mercury, Hermes, or a Gallo-Roman equivalent via Interpretatio Graeca or Romana. Figures of Mercury make up the most common surviving divine statuary from the era and the winged petasus and coin purse are typical attributes, although its location above his hand is unusual. Mercury holds a patera, the shallow bowl used for ritual drinking in antiquity, instead of a caduceus but this is shared by some other figures of Mercury recovered from Roman Britain.

• British Museum, "Figure 1811,0309.8", displayed as G49/dc15.
• Emma Durham, "Depicting the Gods: Metal Figurines in Roman Britain", Internet Archaeology, No. 31, 2012
• Emma Durham, "Style and Substance: Some Metal Figurines from South-West Britain", Britannia, No. 45, November 2014, pp. 195–221.