1726
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Prima Macchina for the Chinea of 1726: Hercules and the Hydra is a 1726 ink by Francesco Faraone Aquila, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a towering, rocky pyramid with a statue of Hercules on top crushing a giant snake. Below, a grand stone balcony frames three arched windows, each with a tiny landscape inside. The whole scene looks like a stage set, with dramatic lighting and rough textures. The text at the bottom explains this was built for a royal celebration in 1726, where fireworks lit up the scene. The artist used shading to make the rocky forms look almost three-dimensional. Next, check out etching to see how artists like Aquila carved fine lines into metal plates.
Francesco Faraone Aquila (1704–1742) was an artist.
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