ticketsMember | Make a donation

Head of Hercules

mid-19th century
Not on view
The head of Hercules framed in a helmet formed by the open jaws of the Nemean lion, the dead beast’s paws tied around his neck, was a staple of Neoclassical glyptics inspired by ancient gems and coins (see also 40.20.37). Within the format endless variations could appear. Both of these carvings have three strata. The anonymous carver, who chose a stone so fiery it has even been wrongly said to be artificially colored, manipulated the pale middle layer to limn the blunt profile, offset between the reds of the ground and top layers. Maria Elisa Pistrucci worked closely from a composition by her father (art market, Rome, 2007), who invented a younger, more lyrical type of Hercules. The dappled brown stone she selected produced, simultaneously, greater legibility and greater subtlety. The lion skin emerges clearly from the dark top layer, all the facial features were excavated from the middle white layer, and irregularities in the translucent bottom layer provide an appealing foil.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of Hercules
  • Artist: Maria Elisa Pistrucci (British, 1824–1881, active London and Rome)
  • Date: mid-19th century
  • Culture: Italian, Rome
  • Medium: Onyx or sardonyx
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 2 1/16 x 1 11/16in. (5.2 x 4.3cm); 52.4 x 42.7 x 10.6 mm
  • Classification: Lapidary Work-Gems
  • Credit Line: The Milton Weil Collection, 1940
  • Object Number: 40.20.48
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Portrait of Benedetto Pistrucci, Maria Elisa Pistrucci British, Sardonyx, British, probably London
Portrait of Benedetto Pistrucci
Maria Elisa Pistrucci
ca. 1850
Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Antonio Canova Italian, Marble, Italian, Rome
Perseus with the Head of Medusa
Antonio Canova
Count Jan and Countess Valeria Tarnowski
1804–6
Angels Bearing the Body of Saint Catherine to Mount Sinai, Luigi Saulini Italian, Sardonyx, Italian, Rome
Angels Bearing the Body of Saint Catherine to Mount Sinai
Luigi Saulini
Heinrich Karl Anton Mücke
mid-19th century
Reclining Naiad, Antonio Canova , and his studio Italian, Carrara marble, Italian, Rome
Reclining Naiad
Antonio Canova
John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley
1819–24
George Gordon, Lord Byron, Sardonyx and gold, Italian, probably Rome
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Italian, probably Rome
ca. 1820

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.