[1] It is the first of many versions that Jordaens painted of Ovid's rendering of the mythological story of the murder by Mercury of the giant Argus.

[6] The painting depicts a scene from the myth of Mercury, Argus (Argos) and Io as told in The Metamorphoses written by Ovid (I, 583 ; IX, 687).

In the story Jupiter (Zeus) has fallen in love with Io, a priestess of Hera, his wife, who quickly discovers the affair.

To end their affair, Hera puts Io under the guard of the giant Argus Panoptes, who has 100 eyes.

Jupiter commands his son Mercury (Hermes) to set Io free by lulling Argus to sleep with an enchanted flute.

[7] Jordaens depicts in the picture the moment when Mercury stealthily picks up his sword to murder the sleeping Argus.

Mercury is a simple shepherd with dirty feet who has just numbed Argus' vigilance by playing a flute which is lying on the ground.

[1] The framing is narrowly focused on the figures; the canvas is cut on the right-hand side and there is little room left for scenery.

Mercury, disguised as a barefooted young shepherd with a straw hat, is gazing at Argus (who, unlike the myth, has only two eyes) and is about to strike a lethal blow.

The 16th-century Flemish painter and art theorist Karel van Mander gave an example of interpretation of Ovid's myth; more than a conflict between two generations, there is a lesson of morality.