formerly attributed to - Recto The youthful Hercules

The drawing depicts a muscular young Hercules in a relaxed stance with crossed legs, resting his arm on his characteristic wooden club. To the left is a sketch of an ornate pedestal or fountain basin topped with a putto, while a faint, bearded head is visible in the background. The artist uses fine cross-hatching and contour lines to study the anatomy and physical presence of the classical hero.

In Renaissance Neoplatonism, Hercules was reclaimed as a primary symbol of 'Heroic Virtue' and the soul's struggle against the passions. Thinkers like Marsilio Ficino viewed his labors as an allegory for the spiritual purification necessary for the mind to ascend toward divine knowledge.