Hercules en Cacus

The hero Hercules, clad in a lion's skin, stands over the defeated giant Cacus, raising a heavy wooden club for a final strike. The scene is set within a dark cave filled with the bones of Cacus's victims, while the stolen cattle are visible in the background. This chiaroscuro woodcut uses multiple blocks to create high-contrast lighting that emphasizes the bulging, exaggerated anatomy of the figures.

In Renaissance Neoplatonism, Hercules represented the 'heroic soul' (anima heroica) and the triumph of reason over bestial vice. The defeat of Cacus—whose name was linked to the Greek 'kakos' (evil)—was a standard allegory for the victory of light and virtue over the darkness of the lower passions.