Music Making Figures

In this anonymous French drawing primarily rendered in pen and brown ink, three figures surround a man who appears to have fallen asleep in a pastoral setting. It is possible that the quick sketch relates to the myth of Hermes, who famously lulled the hundred-eyed Argus to sleep. A beautiful girl, Io, who lived in Argos, attracted the amorous attention of Zeus, much to the ire of his wife, Hera. Finding that Zeus, who had disguised himself as a cloud, seduced Io, Hera turned Io into a cow and chained her to an olive tree in the sacred grove of Mycenae under the watch of Argus. Zeus then sent Hermes to steal Io, a feat accomplished by lulling Argus to sleep with the music of his pipes.