Hercules Fighting the Trojans
Artist
Hans Sebald Beham
(German, 1500 - 1550)
CultureGerman
Date1545
MediumEngraving on laid paper
Dimensions2 × 3 1/8 in. (5.1 × 7.9 cm)
SignedIn plate, lower right, with artist's monogram.
InscribedInscribed above, HERCULES MULTIS BELLIS LACESSIT TROIAM [Hercules provoked Troy in many battles].
Portfolioi/iii from The Labors of Hercules series.
Credit LineGift of Monroe Warshaw in honor of Jefferson Harrison
Object number2018.33
Not on view
DescriptionThis small engraving shows Hercules battling the Trojans, the traditional enemies of the Greeks. The crowded composition of horses and nude warriors beautifully expresses the tumult of battle, but makes it hard to see which warrior is Hercules. In Beham’s other compositions, Hercules stands out as the sole beareded figure, but we recognize him in this print because of his long cape and the long stick or club with which assaults the Trojans, a weapon he alone carries in the other prints. Brazenly attacking the Trojans with only a club makes Hercules’s audacity and super-human strength all the more conspicuous.ProvenanceAcquired by Monroe Warshaw from a dealer in Augsburg, Germany, 2015; gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 2018.
336-323 BC
