Artwork
Mercury playing the flute for Argus
Mercury playing the flute for Argus is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1638 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Mercury playing the flute for Argus is a 1638 copper painting by David Teniers the Younger, exemplifying the Flemish Baroque style. The work depicts a serene mythological scene within a wooded landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a mythological narrative where Mercury (dressed in white shirt and blue pants) plays the flute to lull Argus (bearded, leaning on a stick) to sleep, accompanied by a resting white goat. The scene conveys the mythological tale through a calm, naturalistic setting.
Technique & Style
Teniers employed chiaroscuro to achieve depth, evident in the contrasting light and shadow on rocks and trees. The integration of figures and animals into the landscape contributes to a sense of natural harmony, characteristic of Flemish Baroque’s attention to detail and atmospheric rendering.
History & Provenance
Created in 1638, the painting is part of the diverse oeuvre of David Teniers the Younger, who worked across various genres. It is currently housed in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
Landschaft mit Merkur und Argus
Cattle at the waterhole
Peasants conversing
Landscape with the Judgement of Paris
Landscape with a Shepherd
Landscape with cattle
Landschaft mit Brücke
Landscape with hunters
Landscape with Cows and Wildfowlers
Arcadian Landscape with Herdsmen and Cattle
Landschaft mit drei Bauern
Mercury and Argus