Thordwaldsen was one of the most important neoclassical artists of his time. He worked most of his life in Rome. Mercury, son of Jupiter and Maia, was the emissary of the gods. He is generally represented with his winged sandals (teleria) and a winged cap (petasus). Here, Mercury helps Jupiter free her lover Lo, who was being watched by the monster Argus. Argus' body was protected by a thousand eyes, some of which were open at all times. Mercury told long, uninteresting stories and played his flute until Argus fell asleep so soundly that he closed all his eyes. Mercury killed him, freeing Io. Zeus, a Greek god, was married to Hera; however, he came across Io. Zeus had transformed Io into a magnificent white bovine to hide his true identity from his wife Hera. She found Zeus next to the white wizard, claiming that he had discovered the newborn cow. Hera knew Zeus lied to her, but she bluffed and asked for the cow as a gift. Feeling reluctant to do so, Zeus intentionally offered Io to Hera so that Hera would suspect something if he did not do so. Hera hired Argus to guard the assistant. He had a hundred eyes and could sleep while always leaving a few eyes open, which made him the ideal guardian. Unable to resist Io's anguish, Zeus called upon Hermes, the messenger of the gods, and trained him to find a way to kill Argus to free Io. Hermes was extremely intelligent, shedding all his divine wonder; he went to Argus as a pleasant country. Hermes makes a reed pipe as a weapon of seduction and plays it to attract Argus' attention. Argus found the music most pleasant and invited Hermes to sit and play music next to him. The music did not work as Hermes hoped. Hermes stopped playing music and began to speak... middle of paper... love as a matter of courtship and chivalry as much as a matter of irritable passion. This passion is often that of those who wish to live as a virgin, free from all men, but who are pursued and/or violated by God. Mercury is truly the savage in this story, it's not even a fair fight. Jupiter had buried his metaphorical sword in Io, but Mercury's act transforms sex into aggression and hostility; The little dead man is subsumed by the Grant. The Museum of Fine Arts is a small but excellent museum. I will definitely come back. The changing exhibits are always interesting. The guides are very good. Currently a superb little impressionist collection and a southwestern collection, but that's changing. The building and grounds are part of this incredible experience. Once inside, you can choose to explore on your own with a free recorded tour or with a guide. It's really good and very well located.