Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History


    • Hydria (water jar) with the infant Herakles strangling snakes sent by the goddess Hera, ca. 460–450 b.c.; red–figure
    Greek; Attic
    Attributed to the Nausicaä Painter
    Terracotta; H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
    Fletcher Fund, 1925 (25.28)

    Herakles was one of the twins conceived on a night when Alkmene, wife of Amphitryon, was visited by both her husband and the god Zeus. Angered by his infidelity, Zeus' wife Hera attempted to kill the infant Herakles by sending two snakes to his cradle where he slept. On this red-figure hydria, the young hero strangles them in the presence of his parents, his twin brother Iphikles, and Athena, his protective goddess.

    Related


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Byrne, Janet S. "American Ephemera." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 34, no. 1 (Spring, 1976).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Chow, Fong "Arts from the Rooftop of Asia—Tibet, Nepal, Kashmir." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 29, no. 9 (May, 1971).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Cook, B. F. "Footwork in Ancient Greek Swordsmanship." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989).
    JSTOR | PDF
    • On view: Gallery 156
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    • Hydria (water jar) with the infant Herakles strangling snakes sent by the goddess Hera, ca. 460–450 B.C.; red-figure
    Greek; Attic
    Attributed to the Nausicaä Painter
    Terracotta; H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
    Fletcher Fund, 1925 (25.28)

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    Close