PIERRE MARIUS MONTAGNE
French, 1828–1879

Mercury Preparing to Decapitate Argus (“Seated Mercury”)

After the model of 1867, signed MARIUS (crisp) MONTAGNE 1867 (faint)
Bronze with rich dark-brown patina

17" H x 7 3/4" D x 8 1/2" W

This exceptionally well-detailed bronze represents Mercury Preparing to Decapitate Argus, a model by Pierre Marius Montagne that is most frequently, though somewhat misleadingly, referred to as Seated Mercury. The abbreviated title obscures the dramatic and violent undertone of the subject. Mercury is not simply at rest, but rather is captured in a moment of tense anticipation before an act of divine retribution against the giant Argus.

Conceived in 1867, the plaster version was exhibited at the Paris Salon that year (no. 2394) under its full title Mercure s'apprêtant à trancher la tête d'Argus and was also shown at the Exposition Universelle of 1867 (no. 232). That same year the French Government purchased the work for 3000 francs, and in 1868 a marble example was commissioned by the Ministry of the Emperor’s Household and Fine Arts for the sum of 5000 francs. This marble was later exhibited at the Salon of 1869 (no. 3601) and again at the Exposition Universelle of 1878 (no. 1359).

The present bronze is of notably high quality, the fabulous hammered surface treatment giving the flesh a vivid and tactile energy.

The subject derives from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Jupiter, having seduced the maiden Io, transformed her into a white heifer to shield her from Juno’s jealousy. Juno, however, entrusted Io to the vigilance of Argus, the giant of Argos whose one hundred eyes made him the perfect guardian: always fifty alert while fifty slept. To free Io, Jupiter dispatched Mercury to slay Argus. The god first lulled the sentinel into slumber with his flute before severing his head. Montagne captures Mercury at the threshold of this fateful act: seated calmly upon a tree stump, he holds his pipes in one hand while the other drifts lightly over the hilt of his sword. His gaze is steady, absorbed in the mental preparation for the violence soon to unfold. It represents a rare fusion of serenity and menace.

Pierre Marius Montagne (1828–1879)
Born in Toulon on September 4, 1828, Montagne first trained in the sculptural workshops of the Toulon naval dockyards before moving to Paris, where he became a pupil of François Rude. He debuted at the Salon in 1850 and continued to exhibit there until 1875, earning medals in 1867 and 1869. Among his best-known commissions were the decorative sculptures for the Grand Théâtre in Toulon, six of which survive in plaster form in the Toulon Museum. Though his career was relatively brief, Montagne’s work reflects the refinement and narrative intensity of mid-19th-century French sculpture. He died in Toulon on January 11, 1879.

Artist Listings & Bibliography:

• The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, James Mackay, 1977, p. 268
• E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. IX, Gründ, 2006, p. 1197-1198
• Dictionnnaire des Sculpteurs de l'École Française, vol. III, Stanislas Lami, 1919, p. 470-473

Condition Report:
Original surface patina in good overall condition, cleaned and sealed in a new conservator grade wax. Light patina wear including rubbing to his knee and wrist, trace wear around the edges of the base, a few speck losses here and there (fingers, shoulder), some rubbing along his leg. Ready to place.

ref. 507STJ23A