Young Mercury Stealing Cattle from the Herd of Apollo

attributed to Girolamo da Santacroce (ca.1480-1556), 1530 - 1550

Having been banished from Olympus, Apollo now toils as a cowherd. Engrossed in playing the flute, he is unaware that his half-brother Mercury is busy pilfering his cattle. The little thief has wings on his feet. The lyre, a stringed instrument, hanging from a tree trunk is believed to have been invented by Mercury and served as a medium of exchange for the stolen cattle.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-3966
  • Dimensionsheight 107 cm x width 103 cm, depth 6.5 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on canvas

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • The Young Mercury Stealing Cattle from the Herd of Apollo
    • Young Mercury Stealing Cattle from the Herd of Apollo

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-3966

  • Description

    De jonge Mercurius steelt runderen van de kudde van Apollo. Landschap met rechts de herder spelend op een fluit bij enkele koeien, links grijpt Mercurius een paar stuks vee.

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: attributed to Girolamo da Santacroce (ca.1480-1556)

  • Dating

    1530 - 1550

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on canvas

  • Dimensions

    • height 107 cm x width 103 cm
    • depth 6.5 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; purchased from the dealer Luigi Grassi, Florence, by Prof. Dr Otto Lanz (1865-1935), Amsterdam, 1919;{Note RMA; Amsterdam 1934, no. 63.} his widow, Anna Theresia Elisabeth Lanz - Willi (1870 - 1954), Amsterdam, 1935; from whom, CHF 2,000,000 and fl. 350,000, with xx other paintings, to Hans Posse (1879-1942), for Adolf Hitler’s Führermuseum, Linz, through the mediation of the dealer N. Katz, 1941;{Van Os 1978, p. 167.} war recuperation, SNK, 29 March 1946 (inv. no. NK 2318);{Provenance from 1934 to 1945 reconstructed by Ekkart et al. 2006; MCCP website, file card no. 9808.} on loan from the SNK to the museum, 1948 (inv. no. SK-C-1379); transferred to the museum, 1960

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

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