Skip to Main Content

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Receiving the Garment Steeped in Nessus' Blood

1542
(German, 1500–1550)
Germany, 16th century
engraving
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection 1950.459
Catalogue raisonné: Pauli 108
Location: not on view
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Description

Perceiving the princess Iole as a rival, Hercules’s wife Deianeira soaks a shirt in the blood of the centaur Nessus and sends it to her husband. Deianeira believes the blood is a love potion that will secure Hercules’s undying affection, but it is actually poisonous. Here, a servant named Lichas delivers the toxic shirt. Beham was one of several German printmakers referred to today as the “Little Masters.” They established their artistic prowess by engraving remarkably small prints, appealing to collectors fascinated with miniature objects and curiosities.
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Receiving the Garment Steeped in Nessus' Blood

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Receiving the Garment Steeped in Nessus' Blood

1542

Hans Sebald Beham

(German, 1500–1550)
Germany, 16th century

See Also

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.