1596
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Hercules Resting (recto); Footed Vessel with Handle (verso) is a 1596 by Annibale Carracci, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a tired man sitting on a lion skin, muscles bulging, surrounded by trophies of his battles. This is Hercules taking a break after twelve impossible tasks. The painting was a practice sketch for a ceiling fresco in Rome. The artist drew it on both sides of the paper—one side shows Hercules, the other a simple cup. To see how this sketch turned into a full ceiling, look up the Farnese Gallery in Rome. It’s by the same artist, Annibale Carracci.
To atone for the crime of killing his family, the Greek hero Hercules 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 head of the Erymanthian boar he captured; the three golden apples of the Hesperides; and the hide of the Nemean lion on which he sits. The hero’s pose and exaggerated musculature are a result of the artist’s intense study of ancient models, and emulate specific antique sculptures…
The squares drawn lightly over this composition suggest that it was used to transfer the design to another surface such as a full-scale cartoon.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Annibale Carracci ( kə-RAH-chee, UK also kə-RATCH-ee, Italian: ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome.
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