Design for a Frontispiece: Mercury and Fame

1650

Not on view

This drawing was for the engraved title page to Noticia del recibimiento i entrada de la reyna nuestra señora doña María-Ana de Austria . . . , a book commemorating the entry of Maríana of Austria into Madrid on November 15, 1649, for her marriage to Philip IV. Above, Fame sounds her trumpet. Below her is a motto from the Aeneid (IV, 175): "Fame acquires strength as she goes along." At right is Hymen, the goddess of marriage, who joins hands with Mercury, the messenger of the gods and patron of travelers. As a guide, Mercury escorted Psyche to heaven for her marriage with Cupid. In the context of this drawing, the association of Mercury with Hymen portends a fruitful and expedient union between Philip and Maríana.

Artwork Details

Title: Design for a Frontispiece: Mercury and Fame
Artist: Francisco Rizi (Spanish, 1614–1685)
Date: 1650
Medium: Pen and brown ink with pen and black ink and brush and gray wash. Composition outlined in pen and brown ink. Contours incised and verso blackened with carbon dust for transfer
Dimensions: 10-13/16 x 7-1/8 in. (27.5 x 18.1 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Object Number: 1975.131.226
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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