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Archive photograph of the previous version: bronze of Mercury balanced on one leg, winged helmet, arm raised, finger pointing skywards.

Previous versionc. 1580

Bronze Mercury in a winged helmet, open doctor’s coat and stethoscope, raises one white-gloved finger and holds his caduceus.

Current version2026

Giambologna, Flying Mercury, Museo del Bargello, Florence

Photo: Rufus46, via Wikimedia Commons, resizedLicence CC BY-SA 4.0Image source

Acc. no. GLI.2026.008 108

Flying Mercury

God of merchants, travellers and thieves.

At the GLiTCH Museum, Department of Contemporary Antiquities.

Bronze, white cotton, stethoscope, nitrile examination glove.

Next version Bronze. Cotton coat, washable at 60 °C.

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Catalogue entry

Record GLI.2026.008
Work 8 of 13

Materials depicted
Bronze, white cotton, stethoscope, nitrile examination glove.
Provenance
A private practice in a city centre. Next available appointment: March 2027.
Condition report
Good. Single-use glove. Do not turn your back on him.
Related work
Giambologna, Flying Mercury, c. 1580, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.

Commentary

Messenger of the gods, Mercury protects merchants, travellers and thieves. He wears a winged helmet and winged sandals, and carries the caduceus. Around 1580, Giambologna caught him in full flight, index finger pointing heavenwards, one foot resting on a breath of Zephyr.

The emblem of medicine is the rod of Asclepius, which has a single serpent. In 1902, however, the US Army’s medical service adopted the caduceus. The error was pointed out in 1917. It has not been corrected.

Previous version

Giambologna, Flying Mercury, c. 1580, bronze, Museo del Bargello, Florence. His index finger points heavenwards.

Photo: Rufus46, via Wikimedia Commons, resizedLicence CC BY-SA 4.0Image source

See both versions
References2 references

Digital composition by Aël, updated with the help of artificial intelligence. Glitch: original.