Mercury

About this work

This print shows a muscular man with wings on his hat and sandals, holding a staff with two snakes wrapped around it. He’s stepping on a small creature with a goat’s body and a human face. Behind him, two more strange, half-human, half-animal figures crouch near plants. The man is labeled *Mercurius*, which is the Roman name for the Greek god Hermes. His tools—the snakes and winged hat—were symbols of speed and messages. Check out how this was made using engraving.