Mercury and Battus
The story of the old shepherd Battus, who, having witnessed Mercury's theft of a herd of cattle, promised not to disclose the secret, is recounted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (II: 668 ff.). When tested by the god, shown here in the guise of a young shepherd, he pointed to the foot of the mountain where the cattle were hidden. Mercury then turned him into a stone. The picture was once attributed to Poussin. Its authorship is established by an engraving bearing Millet's name.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mercury and Battus
- Artist: Francisque Millet (French, 1642–1679)
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 47 x 70 in. (119.4 x 177.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
- Object Number: 29.100.21
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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ca. 1643
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1785
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