Hercules and Cerberus: Hercules grasps the collar of Cerberus, two demons appear at left, from the series 'The Labors of Hercules'
1608
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 5 3/8 x 6 13/16 in. (13.7 x 17.3 cm) plate: 3 15/16 x 5 9/16 in. (10 x 14.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.425.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the electrifying etching *Hercules and Cerberus* from Antonio Tempesta's series *The Labors of Hercules* (1608), the mighty hero is captured mid-triumph as he grasps the collar of the fearsome three-headed hound guarding the gates of the underworld. Created during the early Baroque era, this print depicts the climax of Hercules' twelfth and final labor from Greek mythology, symbolizing ultimate heroism and the triumph of order over chaos. Flanking the scene at left, two menacing demons add a layer of infernal tension, heightening the drama of Hercules' descent into Hades. Antonio Tempesta,...
About the Artist
Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630
Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...