![]() ![]() This idea spread across Europe and was even adopted by the illustrious citizens of Florence.Īccording to certain historical sources, Hercules founded that city, citing as evidence an ancient seal of Florence imprinted with the image of the demigod. Lorenzo even commissioned Pollaiolo to build him a table for his studio portraying the second labour of Hercules (Hercules and the Hydra), presently situated in the Uffizi Museum.Īn interesting aspect of the mythological figure of Hercules is that of “Hercules the Fouder”, the demigod who, throughout his labours, founded many cities. The Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent in particular, strongly advocated the mythological figure of Hercules.įor instance, around 1460, they commissioned Pollaiolo to decorate the palace in Via Larga with frescoes depicting scenes of the Labours of Hercules (now lost). In fact, it was commonplace for Renaissance Humanists to reinterpret Greek myths as symbols of human virtue. Many Renaissance works of art centered on the demigod Hercules. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.Clean the Augean stables in a single day.To recapitulate, the twelve Labours of Hercules consisted of the following: Our previous post, entitled Hercules and Diomedes, dealt with the mythological figure of Hercules. ![]() The seventh group, which depicts Hercules and the sphere of Atlas, has been located in the entrance of the Villa di Poggio Imperiale since 1620. The statues placed on the wall of the main entrance depict, from the south to the Audience, Hercules and Cacus, Hercules and the Centaur Nessus, and Hercules and Antaeus on the opposite side of the room, in the same order, Hercules and Diomedes, Hercules and the Erymanthian boar, and Hercules and Hippolyta. They were placed in the Hall of the Five Hundred in 1592 at the behest of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici in celebration of the baptism of his eldest son, Cosimo. Unfortunately, de’ Rossi managed to complete only seven of the twelve series of statues. It is believed that the statues were meant to decorate a fountain located in the Boboli Gardens. They were sculpted by Vincenzo de’ Rossi (Fiesole, 1525 – Florence, 1587), a contemporary of Giambologna, between 15. Along the walls of the Hall of the Five Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio lie six groups of statues representing the Labours of Hercules. ![]()
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