Hercules in the Palace of Omphale
by BELLUCCI, Antonio, Oil on canvas, 320 x 300 cm
Forced by Juno to be sold as a slave, Hercules was purchased by Queen Omphale, with whom he indulged in frivolous role and love games. Here we see the unusually docile hero giving his club to the queen in exchange foe a spindle and cone.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 8 minutes):
Camille Saint-Saens: Le rouet d’Omphale (Omphale’s Spinning Wheel), symphonic poem op. 31