This colossal statue represents Hercules, the superman of antiquity, famous for his extraordinary strength. The Greeks called him Herakles and considered him to be a hero—that is, half god and half mortal—but the Romans called him a god. You can always recognize Hercules by his attributes—a massive club and the skin of the Nemean lion that he slew as one of his twelve, near-impossible labors. Here, he also holds the golden apples of immortality. As his twelfth and final deed, he retrieved them from the garden of the Hesperides, in the far western corner of the world.

This statue, and the other impressively large statue of Hercules behind you and across the courtyard, were designed as a pair. They probably once decorated a large Roman bath. In the drawing on the label before you, you’ll see that much of the statue was restored in the early seventeenth century when it was the custom and taste to do so. However, the posture and attributes of this statue and the one behind you are essentially correct—based on long-established statue types, originating in the fourth century BC.