Hercules

myminifactory

A copy of an evidently famous Hercules statue, for we know of two more replicas in Dresden and in the Villa Borghese (P. Herrmann, Arch. Anz. IX 1894 p. 24,4; Arndt-Amelung 132), and of the head alone four more (see under No. 251). The physique and the position of the legs are reminiscent of Polycleitus, especially the Diadumenos, whereas the head if anything has Attic traits, so that one obviously thinks of an Attic artist in the beginning of the 4th Century BC, blending Attic and Polycleitan traditions. V.H. Poulsen has demonstrated a stylistic connection with the so-called A cibiades type (see No. 435 a). Particularly interesting is the pose itself, for Hercules one leaning on club, the end of which can be seen below the left armpit, whereas the shaft was supported by the substantial puntello from the left thigh. This makes the statue a curious forerunner of the Lysippic type of Hercules, best known from the Farnese Hercules.