Figure of Mercury
(‘s‑Hertogenbosch circa 1550‑Munich 1620)
Probably Munich, circa 1600‑1610
Details
Patinated bronze
H. 33 cm (13 in.)
Provenance
Private collection, England
Private collection, United‑States
Comparative literature
Exhibition catalogue, Von allen Seiten Schön, Bronzen der Renaissance und des Barock, 31 October 1995‑28 January 1996, Berlin, edition Braus, cat. nº161 p.460, ill. 30, 31, 32 pp. 31‑33.
Diemer (Dorothea), Hubert Gerhard und Carlo di Cesare del Palagio, Bronzeplastiker der Spätrenaissance, Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, Berlin, 2004, p.219 & 347, p.395 & 397, Kat. G9 & Kat. G17.
Figure of Mercury
(‘s‑Hertogenbosch circa 1550‑Munich 1620)
Probably Munich, circa 1600‑1610
This elegant and slender small bronze of Mercury is a variant of the celebrated composition by Giambologna. It is attributed to Hubert Gerhard, who was recorded as working in Giambologna’s workshop in Florence around 1580. This bronze was created under the influence of his master’s work and probably also that of Adrian de Vries, his compatriot and co-disciple in Florence.
After 1581 Gerhard joined Carlo Palagio and a team of goldsmiths in Augsburg in order to work on an altarpiece with gilt bronze reliefs commissioned by the Fugger family. He stayed in Germany until his death, mainly working for the Wittelsbach court. Back in Germany, he executed bronze casts of his designs with a dark patina, characteristic of the Northern European works.