Werken van Hercules
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
105; 68
About this artwork
height 105 mm x width 68 mm
Art Historical Context
**Werken van Hercules**Works of Hercules), a delicate by Heinrich Aldegrever from 1550, captures timeless myth of the hero's legendary labors in a compact format of just 105 mm high by 68 mm wide. Aldegrever, a German artist from Soest active during the Northern Renaissance, was a leading figure among the "Little Masters"—engravers renowned for their mastery of intricate details in miniature scales. This print likely illustrates one or more of Hercules' twelve feats, such as battling the Nemean Lion or capturing the Golden Apples, themes popular in Renaissance art for their celebration of huma...
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...