Vintage Heracles/Hercules statue on weathered pedestal

Vintage Heracles/Hercules Statue on Weathered Pedestal

• Vintage
• Very well cast in the round with good definition
• No apparent damage or repairs
• In lovely condition
• Naturally weathered all over
• Remnants of old green paint give the appearance of Verdigris
• Ideal feature piece for a niche in the garden or the middle of a pathway
• Statue dimensions approx    W 25 cm    H   58 cm    D 19 cm     
• The overall dimensions are  W 35 cm    H 130 cm    D 35 cm 

This Vintage statue is cast in the round, showing all aspects, and has very good definition to the face, hair, muscles, feet and lion’s pelt, something not found in lesser pieces although it is made from reconstituted stone, rather than natural carved stone.  

The statue depicts Heracles leaning to one side weary and resting on his club which is covered with the pelt of The Nemean Lion, his first task. He has just completed his penultimate task from the Twelve Labours and held the entire world for Atlas who helped complete the mission of obtaining the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides; these are shown behind his back in his right hand.

Heracles is probably the most well known Hero and Demi-God in Greek Mythology and was born of a union between Zeus and a mortal woman.  Ultimately he was rewarded with immortality and a place in the Olympian Pantheon.  Roman mythology has equally favoured him and he is honoured as Hercules.

This statue has frequently been copied through the ages from an original bronze statue by the Greek sculptor Lysippos, created for Alexander the Great at about the time he died. A Roman copy, Farnese Hercules, of the Greek original, was found in the 16th century and subsequently moved to the Palazzo Pitti, Florence.