Mercury in Flight

“All sorts of Pictures in Brass or Other Metal”
In the Kunstkammer of Prague Castle, numerous bronze sculptures were displayed on tables or kept in cabinets and large cupboards, where the sets of antlers were also stored. Several statuettes were mentioned specifically in the inventory of 1607–11 as being works by Giambologna, whom Rudolf II particularly esteemed. His Mercury is balanced almost weightlessly on his left foot and, like his elegantly turned female figures, is modelled fully in the round.