Details

Title

Hercules Punishing the Perfidy of Laomedon, from the series The Labors of Hercules

Artist/Maker

Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550)

Date

1545

Medium

Engraving on paper

Dimensions

Image: 2 1/16 x 3 1/8 inches (5.2 cm x 7.9 cm) Support: 2 7/16 x 3 5/8 inches (6.2 cm x 9.2 cm)

Credit

Purchase

Accession #

65.37

Location

Currently not on view

Hans Sebald Beham is known for making tiny, highly detailed, engravings, which he printed and published himself. This engraving depicts a battle between the Greek hero Hercules and Laomedon, King of Troy, who had reneged on paying for the rescue of his daughter from a sea monster. The image shows Beham’s thorough knowledge of horses, portraying the animal in a variety of dynamic poses and from different angles.