Plate 15: Hercules standing in a niche, wearing a lion skin and holding a club, viewed from behind, with his head turned to the left, from a series of mythological gods and goddesses
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 8 1/4 x 4 5/16 in. (21 x 10.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.318.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold Plate 15 from Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio's series of mythological gods and, engraved after designs by the innovative Rosso Fiorentino in 1526. This engraving captures Hercules from behind, standing powerfully in a sculptural niche. Draped in his iconic lion skin and gripping a massive club, the hero twists his head leftward, revealing rippling muscles and a dynamic pose that evokes classical antiquity while hinting at emerging Mannerist elegance. Crafted on a modest sheet (8 1/4 x 4 5/16 in.), this print exemplifies the Renaissance engraver's art: Caraglio's precise lines render Rosso's ...
About the Artist
Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio|Rosso Fiorentino · 1500–1565
Italian, Parma or Verona ca. 1500/1505–1565 Krakow (?)