Hercules
c. 30 BC–AD 20
Maker Unknown
Greek and Roman Art
Hercules, c. 30 BC–AD 20. Italy, Rome, Early Imperial period. Bronze with silver and copper inlays; overall: 14.5 x 8 cm (5 11/16 x 3 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1987.2 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. Hercules is the Roman name for the classical hero known in Greek as Herakles.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- bronze with silver and copper inlays
- Dimensions
- Overall: 14.5 x 8 cm (5 11/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
- Departments
- Greek and Roman Art
- Accession Number
- 1987.2
- Credit Line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Exhibitions
- The Year in Review for 1987, Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art, Basel Antiques Fair, Basel, Switzerland (April 1985)., <em>Herakles, Passage of the Hero</em>, Bard College, NY (Spring 1986)., <em>The Gods Delight: The Human Figure in Classical Bronze</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1988-January 8, 1989)
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 103 Roman
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