Hercules Slaying the Lernaean Hydra
Northern Italian School, circa 1680
Italy, 17th century
Oil on octagonal panel
Dimensions: 29.7 × 39 cm
Provenance: Sotheby’s, Paris, 26 March 2014
This dynamic Baroque composition depicts Hercules in one of his most iconic Labors: the slaying of the multi-headed Hydra of Lerna, a monstrous serpent whose heads would regenerate if severed. The hero, shown in heroic nudity and muscular tension, strikes the beast with his club amid a landscape of shadow and flame.
The octagonal panel, a format favored by collectors of cabinet pictures in Northern Italy, emphasizes the narrative’s movement and central focus. The vigorous brushwork and chiaroscuro effects are characteristic of late 17th-century Lombard or Bolognese painters, whose work was influenced by Guercino and the Carracci.
