The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Defeating the Centaurs
1542
(German, 1500–1550)
Catalogue raisonné: Pauli 105.98 ; Bartsch VIII.157.96
Location: Not on view
Description
Labeled ARUMNAE HERCVLIS, meaning “Labors of Hercules,” this is the title page of Beham’s suite of 12 tiny prints depicting larger-than-life stories of the mighty Hercules. The battle scene may refer to a story in which Hercules slays the centaur Eurytion, bridegroom to a young girl who was previously Hercules’s lover. The centaur could also allude to Nessus, a centaur who cunningly plots Hercules’s undoing, depicted later in the series. 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.- {{cite web|title=The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Defeating the Centaurs|url=false|author=Hans Sebald Beham|year=1542|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.457