Classical Small Bronze Copy of the Farnese Hercules A3068

Hercules in his classic resting pose, resting from his famous labors, of course. Picking up one of these, mostly produced in Tuscany, was a must when Americans undertook the obligatory Grand Tour of Europe to acquire some polish in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It signified culture when displayed back home.

Measures 8" tall 3 1/2" wide x 2 3/4" deep. Unsigned.

The original Farnese Hercules is a massive marble statue, following a lost original that was cast in bronze through a method called lost wax casting. It depicts a muscular, yet weary, Hercules leaning on his club, which has the skin of the Nemean lion draped over it. In myths about Heracles, killing the lion was his first task. He has just performed one of the last of The Twelve Labours, which is suggested by the apples of the Hesperides he holds behind his back.

The type was well known in antiquity, and among many other versions a Hellenistic or Roman bronze reduction, found at Foligno is in the Musée du Louvre. A small Roman marble copy can be seen over the Museum of the Ancient Agora, Athens