Mercury, plate 42 from Planets and Spheres
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Plate: 17.9 × 10 cm (7 1/16 × 3 15/16 in.); Sheet: 18.5 × 10.6 cm (7 5/16 × 4 3/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
122264
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Mercury is part of a 50-card set known as the Tarocchi, which were not tarot cards but which probably served a didactic purpose as a memory game. The unknown artist worked in a strongly linear, dry style with a touch of the grotesque. These engravings emphasize the gods’ mythology over their astrological significance. The prints present curious details, such as Mercury standing over the severed head of Argus and its hundred eyes.
About the Artist
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi · 1460–1475
The Master of the E-Series Tarocchi was an anonymous Italian engraver active in Ferrara around 1465, during the vibrant era of the Este court. His early life and training remain undocumented, but stylistic affinities link him to artists collaborating with Francesco del Cossa on the frescoes of Palazzo Schifanoia's Salone dei Mesi. Working in the Ferrarese tradition, he produced the pioneering E-se...