Hercules Assisting Atlas
Medium
Engraving; second state of three (BN)
Dimensions
sheet: 9 5/8 x 14 1/2 in. (24.4 x 36.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.223
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the striking engraving *Hercules Assisting*, French master engraver Claude Mellan a pivotal moment from classical mythology. Here, the mighty hero Hercules temporarily shoulders the weight of the celestial globe for the Titan Atlas, allowing him to retrieve the golden apples the Hesperides. designed in collaboration with Jean-François-Paul Gondi, a notable 17th-century figure, work exemplifies the era's fascination with heroic nudes and ancient lore, blending muscular male forms with symbolic globes that evoke the cosmos. Mellan's engraving technique shines in this second state of three (a...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan|Jean-François-Paul de Gondi · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...