Mercury and Argus (Ovid, Metamorphoses i.668–721) thumbnail 1
Mercury and Argus (Ovid, Metamorphoses i.668–721) thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level H , Case DG, Shelf 23

Mercury and Argus (Ovid, Metamorphoses i.668–721)

Drawing
1642 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Potter, Paulus (artist)
Place of origin
Netherlands (drawn)

Mercury and Argus; Both sat beneath a tree, Argus wears his feathered hat and plays a musical instrument; Highly finished drawing in pencil, on vellum.


Object details

Category
Drawings
Object type
Drawing
TitleMercury and Argus (Ovid, Metamorphoses i.668–721) (published title)
Materials and techniques
Highly finished drawing in pencil, on vellum
Vellum (Paper)
Pencil
Drawing
Brief description
Drawing, 'Mercury and Argus (Ovid, Metamorphoses i.668–721)', by Paulus Potter, Dutch School, 1642
Physical description
Mercury and Argus; Both sat beneath a tree, Argus wears his feathered hat and plays a musical instrument; Highly finished drawing in pencil, on vellum.
Dimensions
  • Height: 110mm
  • Width: 165mm
Original measurements converted from fractional inches into decimal inches (rounded to one decimal place). Dimensions taken from: DYCE COLLECTION. A Catalogue of the Paintings, Miniatures, Drawings, Engravings, Rings and Miscellaneous Objects Bequeathed by The Reverend Alexander Dyce. London : South Kensington Museum, 1874.
Style
Dutch School
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
Signed and dated at lower left, in graphite, Paulus Potter .f. @ 1642; and inscribed at lower right, in brown ink (with museum's Dyce inv. no.), 405.
Gallery label
Potter was only 17 years old when he made this detailed drawing. He went on to become an innovative and nfluential artist, specialising inportraying animals in landscapes. Even in this depiction of a mythological subject,the young artist has included a cow, peering from behind the tree against which Mercury rests.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Rev. Alexander Dyce
Object history
Collection- William Esdaile.
Subjects depicted
Tree
Hat
Mercury
Argus
Place depicted
Netherlands
Bibliographic references
  • DYCE COLLECTION. A Catalogue of the Paintings, Miniatures, Drawings, Engravings, Rings and Miscellaneous Objects Bequeathed by The Reverend Alexander Dyce. London : South Kensington Museum, 1874.
  • Jane Shoaf Turner and Christopher White, Catalogue of Dutch and Flemish Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, vol. I, Cat. 150, illus. p.200.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
DYCE.405

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Record createdJune 8, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O240931/mercury-and-argus-ovid-metamorphoses-drawing-potter-paulus/
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