Mercury
by GOLTZIUS, Hendrick, Oil on panel, 214 x 120 cm
Goltzius was commissioned by a Haarlem lawyer named Colterman to paint Hercules and Cacus. He also purchased Minerva and Mercury, which Goltzius had painted two years previously. Theory (Mercury) and practice (Minerva) lead to skill and virtue. Virtue is depicted by Hercules, who slays the evil giant Cacus.