Reproduction of Herakles Killing the Hydra of Lerna

second quarter of the 6th century BCE

Not on view

This half-size depiction of a small pediment shows the labor of Herakles killing the Hydra, a formidable enemy whose multiple heads grew back as soon as they were lopped off. The sculpture was found on the Acropolis in 1882, but the location of its original structure has not been identified. On the occasion of a visit to Athens in 1883, Russell Sturgis, the eminent American architect and one of the founders of The Met, commissioned Gilliéron to draw this pediment and other recent discoveries on the Acropolis for him; the whereabouts of these works are unknown.

Artwork Details

Overview

References

Title: Reproduction of Herakles Killing the Hydra of Lerna
Artist: Emile Gilliéron père
Period: Archaic
Date: second quarter of the 6th century BCE
Culture: Greek
Medium: Watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions: Length: 84 1/2 in. (214.6 cm)
Height: 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)
Credit Line: Dodge Fund, 1919
Object Number: 19.195.4
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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Reproduction of the "Shield frieze" fresco, Emile Gilliéron Swiss, watercolor on paper, Mycenaean — Reproduction of the "Shield frieze" fresco
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