Mercury Lulling Argos to Sleep 1665

Curator: Here we have "Mercury Lulling Argos to Sleep," an engraving by Georg Andreas Wolfgang the Elder, created around 1665. It's a circular composition, quite small, rendered in the fine, precise lines characteristic of the period. Editor: Immediately, the circular frame creates an insular world, like peering into a snow globe. The figures seem caught in a perpetual moment of hushed tension. The dense hatching gives it a rather somber mood. Curator: Absolutely. It depicts a scene from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*. Argos, the many-eyed giant, is tasked by Juno to guard Io, who has been transformed into a heifer. Mercury, on the orders of Jupiter, is sent to lull Argos to sleep and free Io. Editor: It's all about veiled intentions and divine interference, isn't it? Look at Mercury. He is almost effeminate as he plays his pipes, it speaks to trickery. I love the staff with intertwined snakes, what a potent image of transformation. And, if you ask me, Argos looks more relieved than suspicious. Curator: Yes! The Caduceus is, of course, a symbol of Mercury but, further, entwined snakes speak of healing and commerce – transitions of any kind. Consider too Argos’s multiple eyes. Each eye symbolizes perpetual vigilance. So by closing the guardian’s eyes through music, Mercury is actually severing a link to the heavens, because Argos can no longer see Io in her bovine form, therefore he has failed as protector. Editor: All those watchful eyes! The symbolism gives such weight to a fairly small image. It prompts me to consider other mythical figures weighed down by responsibilities and doomed from the outset. What a reflection on power and duty. It makes me want to sit and write something dark and lovely about being cursed by perception. Curator: Exactly. The brilliance of these allegorical prints lies in their ability to tap into these timeless themes through carefully constructed visual language. They provided potent imagery capable of transmitting cultural narratives from one generation to another. Editor: I'll definitely be contemplating this for days to come—it’s funny how the smallest of images sometimes pack the biggest punch.