1545
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Crushing Antaeus is a 1545 by Sebald Beham, a Renaissance work, depicting Heracles, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows Hercules lifting Antaeus off the ground. The giant’s face twists in pain as Hercules squeezes the life out. His muscles strain against the struggling body in a tight, dramatic circle. Beham made twelve tiny prints for collectors who loved small, detailed works. Each shows a Hercules labor in a tiny space. The lines are sharp and deep, giving shadows and weight to the scene. Look up Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550) next.
Beham was one of several German printmakers referred to today as the “Little Masters.” They established their artistic prowess by engraving remarkably small prints, appealing to collectors fascinated with miniature objects and curiosities. Here, Beham has packed 12 larger-than-life stories of the mighty Hercules into tiny prints. The series includes three of the 12 labors Hercules performed as penance for slaying his children in a fit of madness: Strangling the Nemean Lion , Killing the Lernean Hydra , and Dragging Cerberus from the Underworld . The other scenes depict tales from his life and…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Sebald Beham (1500–1550) was a German painter and printmaker, mainly known for his very small engravings.
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