The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Hercules

Hercules

c. 1496–97
(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, late 15th Century
woodcut
Platemark: 39.1 x 28.5 cm (15 3/8 x 11 1/4 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1926.107
Catalogue raisonné: Meder 238
Location: not on view

Description

Even though Dürer entitled this work Ercules, the narrative of the representation remains highly debated. The most recent interpretation suggests that Dürer adapted the scene from an obscure Roman tragedy, one he may have learned through his humanist friends. The story describes how prior to Hercules’ first heroic labor, the goddess Juno incited within him a monstrous rage. This resulted in the killing of a tyrant, seen under Hercules’ left foot, and the murder of his own family, represented here by his frightened wife Megara. A maniacal old woman-a Fury, goddess of vengeance and the embodiment of Hercules’ rage-prepares to assail Megara with an animal jawbone. According to this reading then, women are the source and manifestation of Hercules’ murderous wrath, an obvious contrast to his later heroism.
  • Dürer’s Women: Images of Devotion and Desire. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 22-September 28, 2014).
    Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
    Sacred and Profane in Late Gothic Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 2-August 2, 1987).
    Eight Masters of the Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 14, 1980-January 18, 1981).
    Durer. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (April 6-May 8, 1971).
    Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).
    The Print Club of Cleveland, 1919 - 1969: Fifty Years in Review. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 14-March 31, 1970).
    40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 3, 1959-January 20, 1960).
    16th Century German Woodcuts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 24-February 26, 1939).
    Inaugural Exhibition of the New Print Gallery - Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 10-November 13, 1938).
    16th Century Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 4-29, 1935).
    Prints of the Fifteenth to Twentieth Century from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 5-September 12, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Hercules|url=false|author=Albrecht Dürer|year=c. 1496–97|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1926.107