Jacob Jordaens
Belgium, b.1593, d.1678
Mercury Slaying Argus
- 1652
- Etching
- Purchased 1977
- 284 x 301mm
- 78/146
Location: Burdon Family Gallery
Tags: Classical, animals, cross-hatching, dogs (animals), gods (deities), men (male humans), monochrome, murders, mythology (literary genre), people (agents), rock, swords, trees
Here Mercury, son of Zeus, prepares to slay the sleeping giant Argus, in a scene from Roman poet Ovid’s epic mythological tale of deception and betrayal, The Metamorphoses. Antwerp-based painter Jacob Jordaens pictured the legend of Mercury and Argus several times, including in this rare etching.
(Out of Time, 23 September 2023 – 28 April 2024)