Hercules and Telephos

The hero is rendered with exaggerated musculature, leaning against his club which is draped with the hide of the Nemean Lion. He gazes into the distance while carefully cradling the small child in his arm against a dark, densely hatched background. This work is part of a celebrated series by Goltzius documenting the primary antique sculptures of Rome.

This print reflects the Renaissance project of recovering 'Prisca Sapientia' through the study of classical forms and archetypes. Hercules was a central figure in Neoplatonic and Hermetic thought, symbolizing the 'Herculean labors' of the soul as it strives to overcome material passions and attain divine virtue.