Seated Mercury, Bronze Signed Marius Montagne 1867

Mercury seated or Mercury preparing to cut off the head of Argus, large bronze (69 cm) signed Marius Montagne (1828-1879) and dated 1867.
Mercury is represented naked, seated on a tree trunk with his legs crossed, his head turned to the left. He holds a sword and a pan flute.
Magnificent bronze with brown patina on a circular base covered with a green fabric.
Height with the base 75x50 cm.

"This sculpture, the model of which was presented at the Salon of 1867, was described by Mr de Thémines in La Patrie : "The young god is seated on a tree trunk, his right leg so crossed over the left that the ankle of this one almost touches the knee of this one. A hand leaning on this knee holds a pan flute; the other stretches out limply towards a sword which is on the ground in its scabbard.
Many copies of Le Mercure by Marius Montagne, sought after and admired, were published in bronze. Pierre Marius Montagne is from Toulon. After spending several years as a student in the sculpture workshop at the port of Toulon, he was a student of Rude in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon from 1850 and until 1875, winning gold medals at the Salon of 1867 and 1869. His major works are currently kept in the museums of Grenoble and Toulon.
His bronze Mercury was also exhibited at the International Exhibition in London in 1872, and at the Universal Exhibition of 1878 which was part of the national lottery of 1879. Marius Montagne was also responsible for the decoration of the Grand-Théâtre of Toulon . Charles Blanc, famous French historian and art critic, while praising the quality of the Mercury in bronze presented at the Universal Exhibition of 1878, brought it stylistically closer to "Mercury by Thorwaldsen" (see Photo). This is a work by sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen from 1818 dealing with the same scene inspired by mythology. Just like Montagne's version, the god gently grabs his weapon to cut off Argus's head while holding the panpipes used to put him to sleep. We find the same massive trunk as the fulcrum of the figure. Thorwaldsen, whose works were very famous during his lifetime, could be part of Montagne's sources of inspiration. These works are inspired by the Greek myth of Argos and Hermes. Argos is a hundred-eyed giant, half of whom sleep while the other is awake. Thus the vigilance of Argos cannot be deceived. In order to deliver Io, love of Zeus entrusted to the custody of Argos by jealous Hera, Hermes plays the panpipes to put the giant to sleep and then cuts off his head. Marius Montagne has chosen to represent the critical moment, acme of the myth, when Argos (Argus) has just fallen asleep and Hermes (Mercury) decides to draw his sword to kill him". 
After Marc Maison Antiquites. Puces de Saint-Ouen. 
https://blog.marcmaison.com/attribue-a-pierre-marius-montagne-1828-1879-mercure-ou-mercure-sappretant-a-trancher-la-tete-dargus/