Hercules as a Child
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.249
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection, Heinrich Aldegrever's *Hercules as a* (1550) a pivotal moment from classical mythology through the lens of Northern Renaissance printmaking. Aldegrever, a German engraver andsmith from Soest (c. 1502–1555/61), was one of theLittle Masters," renowned for virtuosic small-scale engrav. This print, classified in the CG-E department, exemplifies his skill in rendering intricate details on a modest format, making complex narratives accessible to a wide audience. The image likely depicts the infant Hercules strangling the serpents sent by Hera t...
About the Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561
Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...