Cleveland Museum of Art

Hercules

Date: c. 30 BCE–20 CE
Medium: bronze with silver and copper inlays
Culture: Italy, Rome, Early Imperial period
Department: Greek and Roman Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 153683

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

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.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Provenance: Private Collection, Switzerland | ?-1987: Robert Haber & Associates, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1987-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH