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1 of 253523 objects
Hercules with the shirt of Nessus 1600
Bronze | 42.0 x 22.0 x 21.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 70854
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A bronze statuette of Hercules with the poisoned shirt of Nessus, gazing upwards and with a spiked club at his feet. Mounted on a triangular base. In Greek mythology, Hercules slew the centaur Nessus, who had abducted Hercules’s bride Deianira. Here, Hercules has put on a shirt dipped in Nessus’s blood, a deadly poison causing an intolerable burning sensation. Given the probable origin of this bronze as part of a firedog this was a suitable if macabre subject.
Provenance
Probably acquired by George IV
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Bronze
Measurements
42.0 x 22.0 x 21.0 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)