Hercules and the Nemean Lion

late 15th - early 16th century

Moderno

Associated Names
Moderno

Artist, Veronese, 1467 - 1528

The sculpture depicts a human figure engaged in a physical struggle with a lion. The human figure is positioned on the right and is unclothed, showing their muscular build. The lion is almost entirely off the ground on the left. The sculpture is cast in metal with a dark brown color and lighter golden patches. The detailing showcases textured fur on the lion and defined musculature on the human. The background presents detailed elements with motifs resembling plants or trees, as well as a bow and snake on the right side. The setting is flat and framed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners, featuring five holes along the top and bottom edges.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gilded bronze

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 4.31 × 5.07 cm (1 11/16 × 2 in.)
    gross weight: 27.64 gr (0.061 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.244

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Oscar Hainauer [d. 1894], Berlin; his wife, Julie Hainauer, Berlin; acquired 1906 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); by exchange 21 October 1920 to Joseph E. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1897

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, ed. Die Sammlung Oscar Hainauer / The Collection of Oscar Hainauer. [bound as one volume, English and German pages interleaved in one page sequence] Berlin, 1897 and London, 1906: no. 186.

1908

  • A Cabinet of One Hundred & Thirty-Three Bronze Plaques and Medals of the Renaissance Period from the Collection of the Late Herr Oscar Hainauer of Berlin. Ed. Duveen Brothers. London, n.d. (but 1908): no. 105, repro.

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 15.

1997

  • Banzato, Davide, Maria Beltramini, and Davide Gasparatto, eds. Placchette, bronzetti e cristalli incisi dei Musei Civici di Vicenza, secoli XV-XVIII. Vicenza, 1997: 68.

Markings

Reverse bears former inventory number 105 in white paint (Hainauer/Duveen 1908).

Wikidata ID

Q63809914

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