Category Image

Farnese Heracles Hercules of Pompeii Roman Bronze Sculpture Statue

Made of 100% pure bronze (lost wax)
Finish: hand pantinated finish
Dimensions: 12.2" x 30.7" (31 x 78cm)
Item No. BE106
Period: Roman Imperial (1st-4th century A.D.)
Condition: New

$2,290.00

Buy Now
Add To Compare

Secured and trusted checkout with

Paypal

Description

The Farnese Hercules is an ancient sculpture, probably an enlarged copy made in the early third century AD by Glykon of an original of Lysippos or one of his circle, of the fourth century BC, made for the Baths of Caracalla in Rome (dedicated in 216 AD), where it was recovered in 1546. The heroically-scaled Hercules is one of the most famous sculptures of Antiquity, and has fixed the image of the mythic hero in the European imagination. It quickly made its way into the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III. Alessandro Farnese was well placed to form one of the greatest collections of classical sculpture that has been assembled since Antiquity. It stood for generations in its own room at Palazzo Farnese, Rome, where the hero was surrounded by frescoed depictions of his feats by Annibale Carracci and his studio, executed in the 1590s. The Farnese statue was moved to Naples in 1787 and is now displayed in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. The type was well known in Antiquity: a Hellenistic or Roman bronze reduction, found at Foligno is conserved in the Musée du Louvre; a small marble, probably Greek of the Roman period, is to be seen in the Museum of the Ancient Agora, Athens (illustration). The Farnese Hercules is a massive and muscular marble statue, following a lost original cast in bronze through a method called lost wax casting. It depicts a weary Hercules leaning on his club, which has his lion-skin draped over it. He is performing one of the last of The Twelve Labours, which is suggested by the apples of the Hesperides he holds behind his back. This prominently-sited statue was well liked by the Romans, and copies have been found in Roman palaces and gymnasiums: another, coarser, stood in the courtyard of Palazzo Farnese; one with the feigned ( but probably ancient) inscription “Lykippos” has stood in the court of Palazzo Pitti, Florence, since the sixteenth century. The sculpture has been reassembled and restored by degrees. According to a letter of Guglielmo della Porta, the head had been recovered separately, from a well in Trastevere, and was bought for Farnese through the agency of della Porta, whose legs made to complete the figure were so well regarded that when the original legs were recovered from ongoing excavations in the Baths of Caracalla, della Porta’s were retained, on Michelangelo’s advice, in part to demonstrate that modern sculptors could bear direct comparison with the ancients. The original legs, from the Borghese collection, were not reunited with the sculpture until 1787.Goethe, in his Italian Journey, recounts his differing impressions upon seeing the Hercules with each set of legs, marvelling at the clear superiority of the original ones.

Made of bronze (lost wax). "Lost Wax" bronze (or hot-cast bronze) is actually 100% pure Bronze - essentially copper and tin. The most known and used process for making "lost wax" involves pouring of molten bronze. This is the same method used by the ancient civilizations to create bronze sculptures. The making of a "lost wax" bronze is a complex and time consuming process, and specific technical expertise is needed to accomplish the task of making a bronze.

For more details please visit our "Bronze Fountains and Sculptures FAQ"
PayPal, VISA, MC, AmEx, Google Checkout, checks, bank transfers accepted
Please allow about 30-45 days for delivery. Shipping is free worldwide - $0.
Returns are accepted within 7 days minus 25% restocking fee, provided the item is returned undamaged in original condition