Mercury About to Kill Argus After Bertel Thorvaldsen (Danish, 1770–1844)

A large English Parian figure, probably by Robinson & Leadbeater, late 19th century.

An impressive large-scale Parian porcelain figure depicting Mercury About to Kill Argus, after the celebrated sculpture by the Danish Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The subject is taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Mercury, sent by Jupiter to rescue Io from the watchful Argus, has lulled the many-eyed guardian to sleep with the music of his pipes. Thorvaldsen depicts the moment immediately before Mercury strikes: seated upon a tree stump, his head inclined and his pipes held close, the god appears at ease, while his other hand discreetly draws his sword.

The composition is a remarkable example of Thorvaldsen’s Neoclassical restraint, conveying the tension of the impending action through the seemingly effortless pose of the figure.

Thorvaldsen modelled the original sculpture in Rome in 1818. Both plaster and marble versions are preserved in the Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen.

The composition was subsequently reproduced in Parian porcelain by English manufacturers during the 19th century. Examples attributed to Minton in the National Trust collection at Wallington measure approximately 27 cm in height. At 56 cm, the present figure is an unusually large and substantial ceramic interpretation of Thorvaldsen’s celebrated work, displaying the fine modelling and classical detail for which Parian sculpture became renowned.

H 56  x  W 25  x  D 23

England, late 19th century.