Classical World, Etruria, ca. 4th to 3rd century BCE. A cast bronze nude male figure of a youthful, muscular Hercules (also Heracles, Herakles). The mythical hero's expressive visage presents wide open eyes, an aquiline nose, a slit mouth, and a neat coiffure with striated hair framing his face. He stands in a dynamic pose with his left foot forward, his right arm raised and holding a long club, and his left arm draped with the skin of the Nemean lion and outstretched with a hand modeled as if to hold a weapon. Etruscan art from this period shows the clear influence of Classical Greek models, with fluid poses and a desire to present naturalistic features. Hercules was incredibly popular in ancient Etruria, with scenes from his myth depicted over and over again in all forms of art. Size: 4.25" H (10.8 cm); 5.125" H (13 cm) on included custom stand.

The Etruscans were in contact with the Greek colonies in southern Italy throughout their existence and much of their trade and artwork connections were more closely related to the Greeks than to the Romans with whom they are more often associated. Etruria - modern day Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria - was rich in metals, including copper, and the Etruscans drew upon their native resources to become master bronzesmiths. Votive figures like this one were traded far and wide according to Pliny the Elder. Titus Livius records that when the consul Marcus Fluvius Flaccus conquered the Etruscan city of Volsinii, they took a line of wagons, including two thousand bronze statues, to Rome, where they were melted down to make coinage to finance the war against Carthage.

The iconography of this bronze references the legendary hero's first labor when King Eurystheus asked Hercules to bring him the skin of a fierce lion that terrorized the hillside around Nemea - a seemingly impossible task. Despite the fact that initially Hercules' arrows were utterly useless against this threatening beast, our hero ultimately succeeded, clutching the lion in his muscular arms all the while strategically avoiding its claws, finally choking it to death. A marvelous rendering of Hercules displaying the ancient artist's strong interest in delineating physiognomy and movement of Hercules' heroic yet human form. Gorgeous patina.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, ex- New York, USA collection, J. Stoddart

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#133701

May have once held a weapon in left hand. Expected surface wear commensurate with age. Attractive deep green patina.