Gio. Brunetti – Gruppo di Mercurio e Vulcano (Mercury and Vulcan) – Engraving from the Borghese Collection, 1792

Item Description & Information

A fine late 18th-century etching of Gruppo di Mercurio, e Vulcano (Group of Mercury and Vulcan), engraved by Gio. Brunetti (Giovanni Brunetti da Ravenna) in Rome, 1792.

After a drawing by Bernardino Nocchi (Italian, 1741–1812), the print faithfully reproduces an important antique sculptural group from the celebrated Borghese Collection in Rome. The composition depicts the two gods standing side by side in heroic contrapposto: Mercury (Hermes), identifiable by his winged helmet and caduceus, alongside Vulcan (Hephaestus), the blacksmith god, with his characteristic tools and attributes. Engraved with exceptional precision and neoclassical clarity, the plate captures every anatomical detail and the refined modelling of the original marble.

This engraving belongs to the important series Illustrazioni de’ Monumenti scelti Borghesiani (Illustrations of Selected Borghese Monuments), which documented the finest antiquities in Prince Marcantonio IV Borghese’s collection. It forms a handsome companion to the other prints from the same series (such as the Achille engraving by the same artists). 

The engraving displayS superb neoclassical precision, capturing the idealised forms, drapery, and heroic proportions of the original marbles with exceptional clarity and sensitivity.

Measurements: 

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