Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins
Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins
Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins
Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins

Currently not on view

Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins,

ca. 1496–97

Albrecht Dürer, 1471–1528; born and died Nuremberg, Germany; active Venice, Italy, and Nuremburg
x1935-1469
One of several mythological prints that Dürer made early in his career, this woodcut illustrates an obscure tale from the life of the Greco-Roman hero Hercules, whose name is inscribed above on the scroll. The subject may have been suggested to the artist by his humanist friends in Nuremberg who delighted in their knowledge of antiquity. It represents Hercules slaying the warrior twins Eurytus and Kteatus, sons of the Sea god Poseidon. According to legend, they were hatched from a silver egg and no one could rival the strength of their conjoined bodies. Their death was discovered by their mother Molione, accompanied here by a Fury wielding an animal bone.

Information

Title
Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins
Dates

ca. 1496–97

Maker
Albrecht Dürer
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
sheet trimmed to block: 39 x 28.2 cm. (15 3/8 x 11 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr.
Object Number
x1935-1469
Inscription
streamer, top: Hercules
Reference Numbers
Bartsch 127; Hollstein 138
Culture
European
Type
prints

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