Hercules and Antaeus

Both this bronze and it’s companion represent legendary struggles related to Hecules’s labors, a frequent source of inspiration for Renaissance and later art. The figures may derive from a lost series of silver statuettes cast after models by Giambologna during the last quarter of the 16th century. Their virtuoso displays of movement, which seem to transform violent struggle into ballet, reflect the sculptor’s intense preoccu-pation with the human form. Bronzes after Giambologna’s models were popular during his lifetime and later, and they were often studied by painters like Tintoretto, who made drawings from such models.