The Labors of Hercules: Hercules and Nessus (1542): Art, History and Details

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules and Nessus (1542) 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 and his wife Deianeira came to a river where the centaur Nessus offered to carry Deianeira across the water. While crossing, Nessus sexually assaulted her, and Hercules slayed the centaur with a poisoned arrow. Before he died, Nessus deceitfully told Deianeira to collect his blood—now tainted by the toxic arrow—to use as a love potion on Hercules. 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 and Nessus
• Date: 1542
• Creator attribution: Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1946.396

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.