Mercury Inventing the Lyre

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Artist/Maker	Smith, John Raphael (engraver) Boydell, John (publisher) Barry, James (RA) (artist)
Place of origin	London (published)

Print showing Mercury, seated at the edge of the sea, in front of rocks and holding a lyre; behind him stands Cupid who holds a string. In the distant sky a figure can be glimpsed, emerging with the sunlight.

Object details

Categories	Prints Myths & Legends
Object type	Print
Title	Mercury Inventing the Lyre (generic title)
Materials and techniques	Mezzotint Mezzotint
Brief description	'Mercury Inventing the Lyre'. Print showing Mercury seated by the sea with a lyre. Mezzotint by John Raphael Smith after James Barry, 1775.
Physical description	Print showing Mercury, seated at the edge of the sea, in front of rocks and holding a lyre; behind him stands Cupid who holds a string. In the distant sky a figure can be glimpsed, emerging with the sunlight.
Dimensions	Height: 32.1cm Width: 37.8cm Dimensions taken from Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1963. London: HMSO, 1964.
Style	British School
Marks and inscriptions	'J. Barry Pinxit. J. R. Smith fecit. Published Feb. 1st 1775 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.' (Lettered with title and)
Credit line	Given by Mrs E. B. Westwood
Subjects depicted	Music Lyre Sea Shore Sea Sunlight Suns Mercury Cupid
Bibliographic reference	Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959 . London: HMSO, 1964.
Collection	Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number	E.567-1959

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Record created	June 30, 2009
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O568565/mercury-inventing-the-lyre-print-smith-john-raphael/

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