Cleveland Museum of Art

Hercules and Cacus

Hendrick GoltziusLinkedCulture matchlcp-c162078f1223

Date: 1588
Medium: chiaroscuro woodcut (in black, green, and yellow)
Culture: Netherlands, 16th century
Department: Prints
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 148337

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

This chiaroscuro woodcut portrays Hercules’s heroic battle against Cacus, a murderous, flame-breathing giant. Cacus has fallen onto the bones of his victims. As a last defense, he blows fire at Hercules, who heaves his club overhead to strike a deadly blow. Goltzius portrayed the lead-up to the fight in the background, where Hercules rolls away a boulder at the cavern’s entrance, setting free a small herd of cows that Cacus had stolen. The vivid color combination of yellow and olive green helps energize this dramatic moment.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Provenance: Joseph-Marius Agassis (1811-1889), Lyons, script (Lugt 69), verso, lower right, in pen and purple ink. purchased from (David Tunick, Inc.)

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

Pre-Columbian Body Adornment
These objects are personal ornaments and jewelry worn by ancient Mesoamerican and Andean cultures, including ear ornaments, nose ornaments, plaques, and costume decorations made from precious metals, stone, shell, and ce
359 objects from 4 institutions