The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Killing the Lernean Hydra

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Killing the Lernean Hydra

Hans Sebald BehamLinkedCulture matchlcp-5eb48064f74e

Date
1545
Medium
engraving
Culture
Germany
Department
Prints
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
127821

Hercules and his nephew Iolaus work together to defeat the multiheaded hydra of Lerna. To stop the hydra from regrowing its heads, Iolaus torches each neck as Hercules removes the head with his club. Meanwhile, a lobster aids the hydra by attacking Hercules’s heel. According to legend, Hercules dipped his arrowheads in the dead hydra’s blood to make them poisonous. Beham was one of several German printmakers referred to today as the “Little Masters.” They established their artistic prowess by engraving remarkably small prints, appealing to collectors fascinated with miniature objects and curiosities.

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Credit line
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection

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