3-041-432 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Hercules Subduing the Centaurs, about 1735-1740. Additional Info: At centre, the hero Hercules, recognizable by a lion's skin worn around his waist and a knotty club in his grasp, straddles one thrashing centaur and prepares to deal the other a mighty blow. Though this scene is fantastical, the straining human and equine anatomy seems observed firsthand. Bold, decisive contour lines enclose each figure, setting the group apart, in crisp relief, from the rapid red chalk hatch-work of the rugged plinth and alcove. These rocky forms and the overturned jar at right confirm that the drawing represents an unrealized design for a grotto fountain. The story of Hercules's battle with the centaurs is usually told in the context of his fourth labour.