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-)
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
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund