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18th/19th C. Italian Alabaster Sculpture of Infant Hercules Wrestling a Snake

$3,840
$4,80020% Off
£2,903.16
£3,631.3720% Off
€3,389.11
€4,243.9220% Off
CA$5,464.13
CA$6,869.8220% Off
A$5,542.38
A$6,980.3320% Off
CHF 3,164.85
CHF 3,954.5220% Off
MX$67,120.05
MX$84,933.3620% Off
NOK 37,258.05
NOK 46,370.5120% Off
SEK 37,134.40
SEK 46,623.1420% Off
DKK 25,333.86
DKK 31,746.9920% Off

About the Item

18th/19th Century Italian Infant Hercules Wrestling a Snake Alabaster 18 x 18 x 6 inches 40 lb. In Greek mythology, the infant Hercules (Heracles) is famously depicted wrestling with snakes sent by the jealous goddess Hera to kill him in his cradle. Despite being just a baby, Hercules displayed his extraordinary strength by strangling the serpents, showcasing his future heroic prowess. This sculptural group depicts the Infant Hercules Wrestling a Snake, a subject drawn from classical mythology and rendered here in an expressive late 18th–early 19th century idiom. The marble figure shows the young Hercules seated upon a loosely carved drapery, his plump yet powerfully modeled body already suggesting the extraordinary strength for which he would become renowned. With one arm raised and the other grasping the writhing body of a serpent, the infant hero confronts the creature with a mixture of determination and instinctive force. The snake coils around his arm and torso, its head turned outward, creating a dynamic diagonal that animates the composition. Despite his tender age, Hercules’ muscular limbs and tense grip underscore the miraculous nature of the myth, in which he overcomes the serpents sent to kill him while still in his cradle. The sculptor balances realism and idealization: the softly rounded flesh, full cheeks, and slightly furrowed brow convey the vulnerability of infancy, while the carefully articulated anatomy and dramatic narrative align the work with neoclassical interpretations of antiquity. The warm tonality of the marble and subtle surface wear lend the piece a sense of age and continuity.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 6 in (15.24 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Beachwood, OH
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1768216516312

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