Mercury and Argus
Relief
1775 (made)
1775 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ivory relief was perhaps made by T (Theodore?) Xavery in the Netherlands in ca. 1775.
The monochrome colouring of material meant that ivories such as this could ape in miniature the ancient marbles much valued by connoisseurs and collectors of the time. In the story from classical mythology, the all-seeing giant Argus was murdered by Mercury at the instruction of Jupiter. He had been sent by Juno to watch over Io, whom Jupiter wished to seduce.
The ivory is worked very finely, so that if held up to the light, the figures in high relief stand out against the flat translucent background.
The composition depends from a plaquette by Paulus van Vianen, much copied in the 17th and 18th centuries. Jeremy Warren discusses the plaquette in his catalogue of the sculpture at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Jorgen Hein's catalogue of the ivories in the Rosenborg collection, Copenhagen, includes another ivory version, I, cat. no. 82, p. 188.
The monochrome colouring of material meant that ivories such as this could ape in miniature the ancient marbles much valued by connoisseurs and collectors of the time. In the story from classical mythology, the all-seeing giant Argus was murdered by Mercury at the instruction of Jupiter. He had been sent by Juno to watch over Io, whom Jupiter wished to seduce.
The ivory is worked very finely, so that if held up to the light, the figures in high relief stand out against the flat translucent background.
The composition depends from a plaquette by Paulus van Vianen, much copied in the 17th and 18th centuries. Jeremy Warren discusses the plaquette in his catalogue of the sculpture at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Jorgen Hein's catalogue of the ivories in the Rosenborg collection, Copenhagen, includes another ivory version, I, cat. no. 82, p. 188.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mercury and Argus (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ivory relief framed in a gold rim with ring at top |
| Brief description | Relief, ivory, Mercury and Argus, perhaps by Theodore Xavery, Netherlands, ca. 1775 |
| Physical description | Mercury seated under a tree on the left, wearing his winged helmet, is shown playing his pipe, the caduceus lying on the ground beside him, lulling the all-seeing giant Argus to sleep in a wooded landscape his head supported on his left hand; his right hand rests on his staff. From behind a tree on the right emerges Io in the form of a heifer. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | Bought from Cyril Humphris, Ltd., for £30, in 1964. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ivory relief was perhaps made by T (Theodore?) Xavery in the Netherlands in ca. 1775. The monochrome colouring of material meant that ivories such as this could ape in miniature the ancient marbles much valued by connoisseurs and collectors of the time. In the story from classical mythology, the all-seeing giant Argus was murdered by Mercury at the instruction of Jupiter. He had been sent by Juno to watch over Io, whom Jupiter wished to seduce. The ivory is worked very finely, so that if held up to the light, the figures in high relief stand out against the flat translucent background. The composition depends from a plaquette by Paulus van Vianen, much copied in the 17th and 18th centuries. Jeremy Warren discusses the plaquette in his catalogue of the sculpture at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Jorgen Hein's catalogue of the ivories in the Rosenborg collection, Copenhagen, includes another ivory version, I, cat. no. 82, p. 188. |
| Bibliographic reference | Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 112 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.17-1964 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | April 26, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
