Mercury, plate 42 from Planets and Spheres
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
Italian, active c. 1465
Inside the Exhibition Process
Expanding Perspectives: Finding a Language for Beauty
Mercury is part of a 50-card set known as the Tarocchi, which were not tarot cards but which probably served a didactic purpose as a memory game. The unknown artist worked in a strongly linear, dry style with a touch of the grotesque. These engravings emphasize the gods' mythology over their astrological significance. The prints present curious details, such as Mercury standing over the severed head of Argus and its hundred eyes.
Italy (Artist's nationality)
Engraving on paper
Plate: 17.9 × 10 cm (7 1/16 × 3 15/16 in.); Sheet: 18.5 × 10.6 cm (7 5/16 × 4 3/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Bartsch XIII.137.59
Hind E.I.42a
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