Jacob Jordaens

Belgium, b.1593, d.1678

Mercury Slaying Argus

  • 1652
  • Etching
  • Purchased 1977
  • 284 x 301mm
  • 78/146

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)

Exhibition History