Plate 20: Mercury Turning Aglauros to Stone (Aglauros a Mercurio in lapidem transformatur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' 1606

Antonio Tempesta's "Plate 20: Mercury Turning Aglauros to Stone (Aglauros a Mercurio in lapidem transformatur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'" (1606) is an etching depicting the moment when Mercury transforms the nymph Aglauros into stone. The scene shows Mercury, recognizable by his winged helmet and caduceus, about to strike Aglauros who is kneeling on the ground. Aglauros' sister is witnessing the transformation, and the scene is framed by an architectural setting. The composition is dramatic and emphasizes the powerful contrast between the human and the divine. The work is a part of a series illustrating Ovid's Metamorphoses, an epic poem detailing transformations in mythology.