This statue is one of the twelve depicting The Labors of Hercules
that Vincenzo dei Rossi, a follower of Michelangelo, was commissioned
to make for the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The statue conveys
tremendous force which is contained in a very compact design.
The eighth task assigned to Hercules was to bring back to Eurystheus
the man eating mares of Diomedes. Diomedes, the son of Ares the
war god, was king of the Bistones in Thrace. The four mares which
he owned were chained to their troughs where they fed upon human
flesh. The powerful Hercules took them and drove them to the
sea for embarkation. However, he was delayed in his plans when
the king aroused his people to attack and return the mares. Hercules
routed the attackers, vanquished the evil king and fed him to
the mares who then became quite tame.
This is the same item that was previously available
from Eleganza in Seattle. |