Mercury Inventing the Lyre
- Medium
- Mezzotint
- Dimensions
- 11 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (29.21 x 37.78 cm) (image) 12 x 18 7/16 in. (30.48 x 46.83 cm) (sheet) 18 1/16 x 22 1/8 in. (45.88 x 56.2 cm) (mat)
- Genre
Tags
England
About
According to the myth of Mercury—the Roman god of commerce, communication, and trickery—he was just a few days old when he stole a herd of cattle that belonged to Apollo. After killing one of the bulls, Mercury made strings of its guts, stretched them over a tortoise shell, and the lyre was born. Though initially angry with Mercury, Apollo forgave his crime in exchange for the new string instrument.