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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileafter Hendrick Goltzius
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.
Tentat adire Hersenv Cyllenius ales amatam, Dilecti sperans gaudia blanda thori. Inuidit soror Aglauros, Maiae q. creatum Opposita foribus iussit abire fera. 19.
Translation
Cyllenian winged one attempts to approach his beloved Hersena, Hoping for the gentle joys of the cherished bed. Her sister Aglauros felt envy, and she bade the son of Maia To depart, having placed a beast before the doors. 19.
Ovid
The print is an illustration of Book II of Ovid's Metamorphoses, which recounts Mercury's love for Herse.
Karel van Mander
Van Mander, a close associate of Goltzius, provided extensive moral and physical allegories of Ovid's myths in his 'Wtlegginghe op den Metamorphosis'.
Object
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Engraving
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
National Gallery Of Art
Public domain
3000 × 2096 px
fd034e1daf1d4132d4d0a725d64a96e9dbf7ed54
December 12, 2014
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.