Hercules and the Hydra

Cleveland Museum of Art

Hercules and the Hydra

Date
late 1500s-early 1600s
Medium
bronze
Culture
Northern Europe, late 16th-early 17th century
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
147424

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

Hercules slayed the Lernean Hydra as the second of the ancient hero’s twelve labors. When one of the nine snake-like heads was destroyed, two grew back. Hercules cauterized each stump, allowing him eventually to kill the monster. The object he holds may have been a club, sword, sickle, or torch. The sinuous, scaly Hydra and the defined musculature presented challenging opportunities for sculptors working in bronze. The raw, tumultuous energy and twisting form-associated with artists of the late 1500s-contrasts to Jacopo Sansovino’s earlier Virgin and Child (1951.316).

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Provenance
L. L. Neumann (London, England), 1919; | William Salomon, 1852-1919 (New York, New York), upon his death, held in trust by the estate. | Estate of William Salomon, sold in 1923; | Henry Walters, 1948-1931 (New York, New York), upon his death, by inheritance to his wife, Mrs. Henry Walters; | Mrs. Henry Walters, (New York, New York), 1941; | Mrs. Gaby Salomon (London, England), 1966-1973, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1973. | Dr. Kaufman; | Dr. Otto Wertheimer (Paris, France); | Herbert N. Bier (London, England)

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