1548
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion is a 1548 by Sebald Beham, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Hercules is wrestling a big lion in this painting. He's got the lion in a tight grip. The artist made many small prints of Hercules' stories, which is interesting because they were very detailed. The small prints were popular with collectors who liked tiny things. The stories of Hercules were well-known, so the artist could make many prints. To learn more, look up the technique of chiaroscuro.
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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