Getty Museum

Engraved Scarab with Nike crowning Hercle

Date

400–350 B.C.

Medium

Banded red and white agate

Culture

Etruscan

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

An image of Hercle (Greek Herakles) is engraved on the reverse side of this agate scarab. The hero’s torso and right leg are frontal and his left leg is shown in profile to right; his head, unbearded, is turned to the left. Hercle wears a lionskin tied around his neck and leans on a club with his left hand. Nike flies upright to his left, holding his arm in her right hand and crowning him with a wreath. To the right is a lion's-head waterspout pouring water from its mouth, which sets the scene in a sanctuary. The scarab (obverse) side is carefully cut, with the legs in low relief and a detailed head. The elytra are outlined, and there is a low ridge. The thorax has a hatched edge and the plinth is also hatched. The scene is framed by a hatched border. Hercle was more than the mighty hero of Greek myth. From the outset, he was widely worshipped as an oracular god by the Etruscans, and his cult wielded great religious and political influence. Sanctuaries dedicated to him were established throughout Etruria and Latium, and are often associated with springs. As an image on rings worn by men, as well as on mirrors used by women, Hercle is particularly common, often undertaking the Labors for which he is best known in Greek art. As the appearance of his name on the bronze Piacenza liver indicates, however, he was fully divine and had his own uniquely Etruscan persona and myths.

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