Museos Vaticanos - Sala de Heliodoro - 007

Four statuesque figures are painted to resemble marble sculptures standing in niches, serving as a decorative baseboard for the larger frescoes above. Mercury is identifiable by his winged petasos and caduceus, standing alongside female figures carrying a cornucopia and a vessel of flame, and a male figure holding a large primitive plow. These monochrome figures act as allegorical guardians representing the prosperity and peace of the Papal state.

The inclusion of Mercury and other classical deities within the heart of the Vatican reflects the Renaissance Neoplatonic synthesis of pagan mythology and Christian authority. This visual program suggests that the 'Golden Age' of the Papacy is supported by the same universal virtues and cosmic forces described by ancient philosophers and the Hermetic tradition.