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Wrestler's Weight with Hercules and the Nemean Lion; Wrestling Scene (reverse)

ca. 1st century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 235
As the first of his twelve labors, the Greek mythic hero Herakles was ordered to slay the monstrous Nemean lion. Since the beast's skin was impervious to spears and arrows, Herakles strangled him. He then skinned the lion, taking the pelt as a cloak and the head as a helmet. The lion skin slung over his left arm suggest that the figure on this weight is Herakles, although there is no obvious explanation for the charmingly tame lion that accompanies him. Two half-moon shaped indentations for gripping at the back (not visible) indicate that this object is an athlete's weight.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Wrestler's Weight with Hercules and the Nemean Lion; Wrestling Scene (reverse)
  • Date: ca. 1st century
  • Culture: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
  • Medium: Schist
  • Dimensions: 10 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. (26 x 34.9 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1994
  • Object Number: 1994.112
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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ca. mid- to late 3rd millennium BCE
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Torso of a Bodhisattva, Sahri-Bahlol Workshop, Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara, mondern Peshawar region)
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