Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
By Hendrick Goltzius
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury

Mercury, a figure from classical mythology, was a patron of the arts and a god of eloquence. Mercury’s attribute, the winged staff, here resembles a painter’s stick. Articles used for drawing lie at his feet. Behind Mercury stands a girl with her tongue sticking out, holding a rattle and a magpie. She symbolizes simple garrulousness.