After Stefano Maderno, 'Hercules and Antaeus', possibly 19th century
About the work
Overview
This bronze statue shows the Roman god and hero Hercules fighting the giant Antaeus in one of his ‘Twelve Labours'. Antaeus could not be killed while he remained in contact with his mother, the Earth. Hercules, who was famous for his strength, was able to lift the giant and crush him to death.
The statue may have been produced in Venice, most likely in the nineteenth century. It is based upon a terracotta model of approximately the same size, now in the Ca d’Oro, Venice. This model is signed S.M. and is the work of Stefano Maderno (about 1576–1636).
Maderno was a sculptor from Lombardy in northern Italy, whose work reflects the transition from Mannerism to the Baroque. He achieved considerable fame in Rome in the early seventeenth century and produced a number of small terracotta models, bronzes and marbles based on antique models.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Hercules and Antaeus
- Artist
- After Stefano Maderno
- Artist dates
- 1576 - 1636
- Date made
- possibly 19th century
- Medium and support
- bronze, cast
- Dimensions
- 58.4 × 29.5 × 22 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented anonymously, 1957
- Inventory number
- NG6271
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the catalogue entry in Christopher Baker and Tom Henry, ‘The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue’, London 2001; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.