Statuette of Herakles (510–500 BCE): Art, History and Details

Statuette of Herakles (510–500 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Striding forward with his left foot, this nude figure turns his torso and raises his tightly bent right arm behind his head. Despite significant damage, the statuette conveys a naturalistic sense of form and movement rarely seen in early Greek art. Its most striking feature is its powerful physique, with sharply defined, bulging muscles. Formerly called an athlete and assumed to have held a javelin or discus, the figure likely depicts the hero Herakles, revered for his strength and often shown in this smiting pose, wielding a club. Though usually bearded in this period, this representation emphasizes his youthfulness, with an idealized face and carefully arranged hair.

Object facts

• Title: Statuette of Herakles
• Date: 510–500 BCE
• Culture: Greek
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: bronze (solid cast)
• Dimensions: Overall: 21.5 cm (8 7/16 in.)
• Collection: GR - Greek
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 2000.6

A detail from the museum

This robust figure exudes power, despite his damaged feet and missing hands.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Ancient Greek Statuette Among First Acquisitions of Reid’s Tenure as Director,” March 17, 2000, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
• Bennett, Michael, "An Ancient Sports Celebrity", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 40 no. 09, November 2000
• May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.