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Master of the E-Series Tarocchi

Mercury, plate 42 from Planets and Spheres

c. 1465
Engraving on paper
17.9 × 10 cm (7 × 3.9 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Mercury is part of a 50-card set known as the Tarocchi, which were not tarot cards but which probably served a didactic purpose as a memory game. The unknown artist worked in a strongly linear, dry style with a touch of the grotesque. These engravings emphasize the gods’ mythology over their astrological significance. The prints present curious details, such as Mercury standing over the severed head of Argus and its hundred eyes.

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