Statement Of Responsibility: "Imp. F. Didot & Cie., Paris." "Peinture de Lagrenée."--printed on border.
Content: Contrary to the caption, this image is not explicable as Hermes delivering the infant Zeus to his nurse Melissa, since Hermes himself is the son of Zeus. It may represent a confusion with another mythic tradition that identifies Hermes as the one who secretly delivered the infant Dionysus to King Athamas and his wife, Ino, in order to protect him from the jealous wrath of Hera, who wished the child dead because he was one of her husband's many illegitimate offsprings.
Source Note: XVIII siècle; letters, sciences et arts, France 1700-1789; ouvrage illustré de 16 chromolithographies et de 250 gravures sur bois. (Paris : Firmin-Didot, 1878) Jacob, P. L. (1806-1884), Author.

Physical Description

Chromolithographs
Extent: 15.5 x 19.5 cm

Identifiers

Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): e3805790-c5be-012f-f8af-58d385a7bc34

Rights

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Type Of Resource

Still Image

Date Issued

1878

Cite this item

MLA format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Mercure apportant Jupiter aux nymphes Melisses" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1878. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/e3805790-c5be-012f-f8af-58d385a7bc34

APA format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1878). Mercure apportant Jupiter aux nymphes Melisses Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/e3805790-c5be-012f-f8af-58d385a7bc34

Chicago/Turabian Format

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Mercure apportant Jupiter aux nymphes Melisses" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 14, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/e3805790-c5be-012f-f8af-58d385a7bc34

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/e3805790-c5be-012f-f8af-58d385a7bc34 | title= (still image) Mercure apportant Jupiter aux nymphes Melisses (1878) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=December 14, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>