Hercules and Antaeus

Art Historical Context

In the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art lies a captivating small-scale bronze plaquette, *Herc and Antaeus*, modeled around 1488–89 by Galeazzo Mondella, known Moderno. This Italian artist, active in the late Renaissance hubs of Padua and Rome specialized in plaquettes—intimate, low-relief plaques that served as affordable Renaissance collectibles, blending classical mythology with virtuoso craftsmanship. Depicting the mythic wrestling match between Hercules and the giant Antaeus, the scene captures the hero hoisting his foe aloft, severing Antaeus's earth-born strength in a dynamic twist of muscle and tension. Crafted from copper alloy, this 7.5 x 5.9 cm gem (weighing just 63.26 g) boasts a rich brown natural patina sealed under dark wax, with a pierced top suggesting it hung as a pendant or devotional ornament. Likely cast in the 16th century from Moderno's original model, it exemplifies the era's revival of antiquity: plaquettes like this were prized by scholars and nobles for their portable erudition, bridging ancient Greek lore with early modern artistry. Moderno's precise chasing and high-relief modeling bring the struggle vividly to life, making this tiny powerhouse a window into Renaissance humanism's passion for heroic tales.

About the Artist

Moderno (Galeazzo Mondella) · 1467–1528

Moderno, identified by scholars as the goldsmith and medallist Galeazzo Mondella (c. 1467–c. 1528), was among the most gifted Italian artists working in small-scale bronze and lead relief at the turn of the sixteenth century. The pseudonym Moderno, meaning simply "the modern one," signals both the esteem in which his contemporaries held his work and his own conscious alignment with the revival of ...