Hercules Killing Cacus, From the Labors of Hercules, 1545, Sebald Beham, German, 1500–1550, 2 × 3 in. ( × cm) (sheet), Engraving, Germany, 16th century, The legendary strongman Hercules was born to the god Zeus and a mortal named Alcmena. This union so incensed Zeus’s wife Hera that she made life almost unbearable for the hero. Her ire resulted in him undertaking a series of tasks, known as the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Sebald Beham challenged his audience’s knowledge of the classical text, engraving three actual labors and nine scenes of Hercules’ exploits

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Size: 4172px × 2937px
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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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