Plate 18: Mercury Falling in love with Herse (Mercurius Herses amore accenditur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' 1606

"Plate 18: Mercury Falling in love with Herse (Mercurius Herses amore accenditur)" is an etching by Antonio Tempesta from 1606, part of a series illustrating Ovid's Metamorphoses. This scene depicts the Roman god Mercury, hovering in the clouds above a group of women, including his love interest Herse. The detailed figures and dramatic composition are typical of Tempesta's style, and the work exemplifies the popularity of classical mythology in Renaissance art. The etching is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection in New York.