MALE NARRATOR:
Bronzes like this one by an unknown Northern European artist were meant not only for the owner’s personal pleasure, but as an outward sign of his—or her—discriminating tastes. The 17th-century elite prided themselves on knowledge of the classical past—and this figure was clearly inspired by the art and literature of antiquity.
Walk around the sculpture to take in its smooth, elegant forms. Unlike earlier statues, it was meant to be viewed from all sides. It represents Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods. Graceful and swift, he was also a master thief, known for his shrewdness and cunning. Here, he balances precariously on a golden ball, creating the illusion that he is flying. His balletic pose, known as an arabesque, suggests that music is being played. Perhaps he once held a lyre, a small stringed instrument plucked like a harp, that he is said to have invented.
Details
- Artist Name: Northern European
- Title: Flying Mercury
- Date: c. 1620
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: 27 in. (68.6 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1965.1.110.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow (1806-1878), Middlesborough (sale, London, Christie's, 1 May 1891, lot 193).
Clarence H. Mackay, Harbor Hill, Long Island.
[Duveen Bros., New York; stock no. 27970, sold 1965 to;]
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Clarence H. Mackay, Harbor Hill, Long Island.
[Duveen Bros., New York; stock no. 27970, sold 1965 to;]
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Renaissance Exhibition
- Baltimore Museum of Art, 1926 to
- Radcliffe, Anthony, Netherlandish Mannerism: Papers given at a symposium in Nationalmuseum Stockholm, September 21-22, 1984, pp. 105-106
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best,2010, cat. D80 p. 447
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