The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Abducting Iole (1544): Art, History and Details

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Abducting Iole (1544) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550).

The work and its context

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

Hercules avenges an old insult by killing King Eurytus and his sons, and abducting his daughter, Iole. Years before, Eurytus had promised Iole to anyone who could beat him at archery. When he lost the contest to Hercules, the king cheated Hercules out of his rightful prize. Beham was one of several German printmakers referred to today as the “Little Masters.” They established their artistic prowess by engraving remarkably small prints, appealing to collectors fascinated with miniature objects and curiosities.

Object facts

• Title: The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Abducting Iole
• Date: 1544
• Creator attribution: Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1950.460

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection

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.