Landschap met Mercurius die de lier aan Apollo geeft

About this artwork

mezzotint en ets, gedrukt in bruin

Art Historical Context

**Landscape with Mercury Giving the Ly to Apollo** (1777) is a captivating etching by Richard Earlom, leading British printmaker of the 18th century Created on March 1, 1777, this work measures 206 mm high by 257 mm wide and mezzotint and etching techniques, printed in brown tones. Earlom (1743–1822) gained fame for his reproductive prints, often drawing from prestigious collections like the Duke of Richmond's, which housed drawings by old masters such as Claude Lain and Gaspar Poussin. The composition centers on a classical myth: Mercury, the swift messenger god, presents the lyre—newly fash...

About the Artist

Richard Earlom · 1728–1794

Richard Earlom (1743–1822) stands as one of the supreme masters of mezzotint engraving in British art history, whose technical virtuosity and dedication to reproductive printmaking brought the works of Old Masters to unprecedented audiences. Born in London on May 14, 1743, Earlom spent his entire career transforming paintings and drawings into prints of extraordinary quality, elevating reproductiv...