Mercury

1539

Sebald Beham

Associated Names
Sebald Beham

Artist, German, 1500 - 1550

The image displays a person standing in a regal position. The person is wearing a helmet with wing-like projections on top and a classical short tunic, cinched at the waist, with a cloak fastened at the shoulder. Their face is turned slightly to the side, with distinct facial features, comprising sharp eyes and a defined jawline. The individual has short hair peeking out from beneath the helmet. They are holding a caduceus in their left hand, a staff with two serpents intertwined, and small wings at the top. A sea creature with a human upper body and a fish-like lower half, holds a flower at the person's feet. Two cherubic figures are playfully interacting at the person's side. The background includes Latin inscriptions and astrological symbols, with a plain textured backdrop extending behind the figures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.1066

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 123, State i/iv


Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1901

  • Pauli, Gustav. Hans Sebald Beham: ein kritisches Verzeichnis seiner Kupferstiche, Radierungen und Holzschnitte. Studien zur deutschen Kunstgeschichte_ 33. Strasbourg: J.H. Ed. Heitz, 1901: no. 121, ii/iii.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Sebald Beham, Anne Röver-Kann, author). Ouderkerk aan den Ijssel: Sound & Vision Publishers, 2024: no. 123, i/iv.

Wikidata ID

Q64961440

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