Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous, from the series the Labors of Hercules
Heinrich Aldegrever, Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous, from the series the Labors of Hercules, 1550, engraving on paper, The Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Graphic Arts Collection, public domain, 78.52.395
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- Title
Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous, from the series the Labors of Hercules
- Related Titles
display title: Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous, from the series The Labors of Hercules
display title: Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous, from the series The Labours of Hercules
series (original language): The Labours of Hercules
translated: Hercules Fighting the River God Achelous
- Artist
- Date
1550
- Period
High Renaissance (late 15th-1520s)
- Medium
engraving on paper
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
image/sheet: 3 5/8 in x 2 5/8 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
date; maker's mark: 1550 // AG [entwined], printed, upper right
inscription: none
- Collection Area
Graphic Arts
- Category
Prints
- Object Type
intaglio print
- Culture
German
- Credit Line
The Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Graphic Arts Collection
- Accession Number
78.52.395
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
In classical myth, Hercules was the greatest of all heroes. After Hercules killed his wife and children in a fit of madness induced by Hera, the hero's cousin Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, sentenced him to complete twelve labors (or challenges). In other versions of the myth, the challenges were meant to keep him from attaining the kingdom of Mycenae. In either case, Hercules's ordeals were popular subjects for Renaissance artists, who focused on the muscular form of the hero as he battled the fierce lion of Nemea, man-eating horses, and Giants, among other trials. This scene refers to Hercules's quest to fetch three golden apples from the garden of Hesperides sisters, which was guarded by the fierce dragon Ladon.
- Exhibitions
2004 Sacred and Secular: Renaissance and Baroque Prints Portland Art Museum
2012 Mythologia: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters Portland Art Museum
