Hercules Attacking the Lernean Hydra
by FONTANA, Annibale, Rock crystal, enamel, and gold, 10 x 13 cm
This engraved plaque shows a scene from the life of the mythological hero Hercules and was initially set into a sumptuous, gilded casket that belonged to the ducal Gonzaga family of Mantua.
Hercules was famous for his strength and virtue, and princes often surrounded themselves with his image as an ideal for (and an idealized image of) themselves. This scene is from the Twelve Labors of Hercules, tasks given to him by King Eurystheus, who thought they were impossible to accomplish, including killing a many-headed hydra (dragon).
At some point the casket was taken apart; eight related plaques are preserved. Hercules’s powerful musculature reveals Fontana’s study of ancient sculpture.