Hermes

Inside an oval frame, a young nude man stands turned in profile while a woman behind him rests a hand on his shoulder. A coiled ring wraps across his torso, enclosing a miniature carved relief of a sailing ship; at the edges a goat and a dog stand near dark tangled foliage, with a lettered banner beneath the image.

Fine stippled engraving renders warm sepia flesh tones against deep black recesses, with dense ornamental patterning in the hair, drapery and background growth. The symbolic combination of figures, ring and ship gives the small print an enigmatic, allegorical air.