Hercules Resting (recto); Footed Vessel with Handle (verso), result 1 of 1

Italy, 16th century

Hercules Resting (recto); Footed Vessel with Handle (verso)

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Drawing

1595-1597

black chalk heightened with white, squared in black chalk on right, incised (edges of figure)

Sheet: 35.5 x 52.4 cm (14 x 20 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 36.6 x 53.3 cm (14 7/16 x 21 in.); Tertiary Support: 38.3 x 55 cm (15 1/16 x 21 5/8 in.)

During a temporary state of madness, Hercules murdered his wife and children. To atone for his crime, he was required to perform twelve labors. In this final study for a fresco of this subject commissioned by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese for the ceiling of his study in his family’s Roman palace, Hercules rests, surrounded by evidence of his toil. The hero’s pose and exaggerated musculature are a result of the artist’s intense study of ancient models and are meant to emulate antique sculpture in the Farnese household and other Roman collections.

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Collection: DR - Italian

Department: Drawings

Provenance: [Hôtel Drouot, Paris, summer 1997]; [Talabardon, Paris].

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund

Image and original data from The Cleveland Museum of Art