Mercury

Italian 16th Century

National Gallery of Art

A nude boy or young man standing with one arm leaning on a staff is cast in bronze in this free-standing sculpture. In this photograph, the boy’s body is squared to us, but the head turns to look down to our left. The boy has a straight nose, smooth cheeks, thin lips, and a pointed chin. A cap of tight curls is covered by a bowl-like helmet with wings on either side. The man stands with his weight mostly on his left leg, to our right, which is straight. His other ankle crosses in front of the standing leg, and the toes and ball of that second foot rest lightly on the round base. The man settles into his left hip so his torso sways to our right. His right elbow, to our left, rests on the ribcage-high staff, and his opposite shoulder drops as he rests that hand on his hip. He holds short pipes in both hands. The gentle contours of the boy’s muscles can be made out under his smooth skin. The staff has knobs as if branches had been shorn off. A tiny snake curves in a tight slithering S at the base of the staff, and a couple pebbles are near the boy’s feet. The sculpture rests a square, light brown stone plinth against a pale gray background.