1590. Mercury Entering Herse's Room - etching - 17.8 x 25.6 cm - Washington DC, NGA

Mercury, identified by his winged sandals and caduceus, parts the curtains of a bed to approach the semi-nude Herse. In the background through a doorway, the narrative continues as Mercury strikes the envious sister Aglauros with his staff, beginning her transformation into stone. The scene is set in a contemporary Renaissance interior featuring a dog, a vase of flowers, and an ornate bedstead.

Based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, this scene was frequently interpreted in the Renaissance as an allegory of the soul's desires and the destructive nature of envy. In the esoteric tradition, Mercury's role as the 'messenger of the gods' and the 'transformer' links the narrative to the volatile nature of the spirit in natural philosophy.