The life-sized figure that represents the planet Mercury holds the caduceus in his left hand and points with the index finger of his extended right hand. Behind him, a fragment of the zodiac presents the signs of Gemini and Virgo. At the top, a winged figure points to the sky with its left hand.

This painting and its companions (P306 to P312) are copies of cartoons for the mosaics at the Chigi Chapel in the Roman church of Santa Maria del Popolo. Those cartoons were made by Raphael and the mosaics, by Alvise della Pace in 1516.

The paintings are from the royal collections and were brought to Spain by Rubens in 1603 as gifts from the Duke of Mantua to the Duke of Lerma. They were part of the decoration of Philip IV´s Salón Planetario (Planetary Hall) at the Buen Retiro Palace.