AnticoItalian, 1460–1528Hercules and the Serpents
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Hercules and the Serpents” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Medieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery, London. Yes, on view now. Checked October 12, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
RoomMedieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery
Closed· opens at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
The infant hero is shown slaying the snakes sent against him by the goddess Juno on this medallion. The relief and its pendant 'Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar' (149-1882) together with that of 'Hercules and the Ceryneian Stag' in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, may be identified with three bronze roundels listed in the inventory of Ferdinando Gonzaga's collection, prepared in 1627. The style can be compared to works by the famous painter and printmaker, Andrea Mantegna 91430/31-1506). Mantegna was the Gonzaga court artist, and it is possible that he supplied designs for Antico to use.
Read on
Antico (Pier Jacopo di Antonio Alari-Bonacolsi, ca. 1460-1528) was an Italian sculptor and goldsmith. He was nick-named Antico, because in his work he related heavily to Antiquity. He re-created small scale statuettes of famous antique examples. He was active at the Gonzaga court at Mantua and made many bronzes for the court, notably for Ludovico, Bishop of Mantua and Isabella d'Este, wife of Francesco II Gonzaga, 4th Marchese of Mantua. He was also a restorer of antique statues and an adviser to art collectors.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 58-1881
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
![Chalice of Saint John the Evangelist [reverse], Hans Memling, c. 1470/1475](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/1a761edd-c52e-47c0-b422-df074e14c803/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
