03 — ARTWORK
Hercules
- MEDIUM
- Woodcut
- TYPE
- Mythological
PALETTE
HOVER OR TAP A SWATCH FOR NAME, SHARE AND HEX. SAMPLED FROM THE IMAGE — INDICATIVE, NOT A PIGMENT ANALYSIS.
THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · British Museum
- FILE
- 709 × 971 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The possible explanation of this curious picture: Hercules is fighting for Iole, the daughter of Eurytos, whom, after his victory in the archery contest, he was permitted to woo, but nevertheless the father refuses his consent. Hereupon Hercules wins Iole by force and kills his father Eurytos. The old man with the ass's jaw is intended to personify Iole's feelings of distress. The outline and formation of the head of Hercules distinctly recall the Rape of the Women by Pollaiolo, which Dürer copied.
OTHER WORKS BY ALBRECHT DÜRER
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-rdd03acd3d8ea57,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Hercules by DÜRER, Albrecht},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/drer-albrecht-r9b10ff91cb62c2/hercules-rdd03acd3d8ea57},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.