Hercules Fighting Aboard The Argonauts' Ship
ca. 1542–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 9 3/16 × 13 5/8 in. (23.3 × 34.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.97.571
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching captures a dramatic episode from Greek mythology, showing the hero Hercules engaged in fierce combat aboard the Argo during the quest for the Golden Fleece. Created around 1542–45, the print translates a design by Francesco Primaticcio, an Italian Mannerist artist active at the French court of Francis I, into an etching by Léon Davent. The scene brims with dynamic energy, as armored figures clash with swords and shields amid the ship’s deck, highlighting the adventurous spirit of the Argonauts legend. Primaticcio’s elegant, elongated figures and sophisticated compositions helped ...