Hercules and the Hydra
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Hercules and the Hydra” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Lodovico Carracci (1555-1619) was taught by Prospero Fontana (1512-1597) and in 1582 he was elected a member of the council of the Compagnia dei Bombasari e Pittori, Bologna. He was a rather successful artist and ran an important workshop with his two younger cousins, Agostino and Annibale Carracci with whom he also founded around 1585 the Accademia degli Incamminati in Bologna. He received important commissions in Bologna and near cities, including wall decorations. He died in Bologna where he spent most of his life in 1619.
Read on
The painting is a fresco transferred on canvas, which was executed in 1594 by Lodovico to decorate his cousin's house in Bologna. It shows the ancient Greek hero Hercules just after he killed the Hydra of Lerna, a monstrous sea serpent. The hero is shown sat on a rock, his burning torch in his left hand while he is resting his head on the other. This painting is a good example of the new style influenced by the Venetian art that Lodovico developed in the 1590s.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 8368-1863
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
![[Zwei Prospekte, links mit Herkules im Kampf mit der Hydra; Au bas du projet de droite, un petit vase de fleurs dans un ovale], Jean Le Pautre, 1638–1706](https://diglib.hab.de/varia/haum/lepautre-j-ab3-0389/max/000001.jpg)
![[Zwei Prospekte, links mit Herkules im Kampf mit der Hydra; Au bas du projet de droite, un petit vase de fleurs dans un ovale], Jean Le Pautre, 1638–1706](https://diglib.hab.de/varia/haum/lepautre-j-ab3-0393/max/000001.jpg)
