Hercules

Description

This bronze statuette is a nude figure of the hero Hercules. He stands in a contrapposto pose, with the majority of his weight on one leg. Over his left arm, Hercules holds the skin of the Nemean Lion, having slayed the beast as part of his Twelve Labors and now carrying the pelt as a trophy. Although now mostly lost, Hercules once held his signature wooden club in his right hand. Roman artists often portrayed Hercules as middle-aged, as though greater maturity would increase his power and virility.

Provenance

Private Collection, Switzerland; Robert Haber & Associates, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1987); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1987-)

Hercules

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c. 30 BCE–20 CE

Accession Number

1987.2

Medium

bronze with silver and copper inlays

Dimensions

Overall: 14.5 x 8 cm (5 11/16 x 3 1/8 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund