The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 1, 2023

Hercules and Cacus

1588

Hendrick Goltzius

(Dutch, 1558–1617)

Netherlands, 16th century

Chiaroscuro woodcut (in black, green, and yellow)

Support: Cream(3) laid paper

Sheet: 42.8 x 33.9 cm (16 7/8 x 13 3/8 in.); Image: 41 x 33.2 cm (16 1/8 x 13 1/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1975.60

Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein 373 (VIII.122)

State: IV/IV

Location

not on view

Description

This chiaroscuro woodcut portrays Hercules’s heroic battle against Cacus, a murderous, flame-breathing giant. Cacus has fallen onto the bones of his victims. As a last defense, he blows fire at Hercules, who heaves his club overhead to strike a deadly blow. Goltzius portrayed the lead-up to the fight in the background, where Hercules rolls away a boulder at the cavern’s entrance, setting free a small herd of cows that Cacus had stolen. The vivid color combination of yellow and olive green helps energize this dramatic moment.

Inscriptions

Inscription

center left, in block (green): A°88 HG[in monogram]oltzius Inve.[sidesways] ; across bottom, letterpress: Ghedruckt t'Amsterdam by Willem Ianffen in de vergulde Sonnewyser. ; lower right, in graphite: 6 ; VERSO, upper left, in graphite: 4 ; by Joseph-Marius Agassis, lower right, in pen and purple ink: [monogram, Lugt 69]

Provenance
Joseph-Marius Agassis (1811-1889), Lyons, script (Lugt 69), verso, lower right, in pen and purple ink. purchased from (David Tunick, Inc.)
Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 153 archive.org
Exhibition history

Printing in Color. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-November 17, 1985).

Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 3-October 26, 1997).

Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.60