The child Hercules strangling the serpents thumbnail 1
The child Hercules strangling the serpents thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level H , Case PD, Shelf 273

The child Hercules strangling the serpents

Drawing
ca. 1580-1609 (made)
Artist/Maker
Carracci (artist)
Place of origin
Italy (made)

Pen and ink and wash drawing depicting the child Hercules strangling the serpents.


Object details

Categories
Animals and Wildlife
Myths & Legends
Drawings
Object type
Drawing
TitleThe child Hercules strangling the serpents (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and wash drawing
Pen and Ink
Drawing
Wash
Brief description
Pen and ink and wash drawing by Annibale Carracci depicting the child Hercules strangling the serpents. Italy, ca. late 16th century.
Physical description
Pen and ink and wash drawing depicting the child Hercules strangling the serpents.
Dimensions
  • Height: 149mm
  • Width: 216mm
Dimensions taken from departmental notes
Subjects depicted
Strength
Serpents
Snakes
Deaths
Hercules
Bibliographic reference
Ward-Jackson, Peter, Italian Drawings, Volume Two: 17th-18th Century , London, 1979, p. 31, cat. n. 651, illus. The following is the full text of the entry: CARRACCI, ANNIBALE (1560-1609) 651 The child Hercules strangling the serpents Pen and ink and wash 5 7/8 x 8 ½ (149 x 216) D.1973-1885 PROVENANCE Bought 1888 (as by Annibale) LITERATURE Hartt, I, pp. 215-6; p. 306, no. 307a; 2, pl. 541 I first suggested to Professor Hartt that this drawing by Giulio Romano and he accepted the idea, in the belief that it might be a study for a lost picture from the series showing the Infancy of Gods (see Hartt, loc. cit.). Since then I have become converted to the view that I misled Hartt and that the old attribution to Annibale Caracci is correct after all, on stylistic grounds. According to Bellori (Le vite de pittori… etc, Rome, 1672, pp. 84-5) Annibale painted a small picture of the subject, about one palm in dimension, on a panel of walnut, for Corradino Orsini, with a dedication to Monsignior Camillo Massimi.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
D.1973-1885

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O944433/the-child-hercules-strangling-the-drawing-carracci/
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