Molded baby Hercules appliqué
Molded baby Hercules appliqué
Place of OriginEgypt or Italy
Date1st century BCE - 1st century CE
Dimensions1 3/8 × 1 3/8 × 1/8 × 1 1/4 in. (3.5 × 3.5 × 0.3 × 3.2 cm)
MediumMonochrome mold-pressed glass.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1508
On View
Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic
DescriptionThis molded glass appliqué depicts the infant Hercules in the act of strangling two serpents—a popular mythological moment representing the hero’s first feat. Shown frontally within an oval relief frame, the cherubic figure has one arm extended and the other bent. He wears a semi-draped garment with trailing ends that flow behind him, suggesting motion. His head turns to the right and is topped with short curly locks. The form is a playful imitation of traditional adult Hercules representations.
Label TextHerakles, or Hercules, was destined for glory from a surprisingly young age. Although Herakles was certainly not the first of Zeus’s illegitimate children, Zeus’s wife Hera held a particular contempt for him, and he became the target of many unsuccessful assassination attempts. Hera first made her move against the hero when he was a mere baby, sending two serpents to kill him in his sleep. The son of Zeus awoke and used his characteristic super-strength to choke the snakes to death. This moment, immortalized in this glass appliqué, represents the origin of the myth and the beginning of the troubled relationship between Herakles and Hera. Such appliqués were often attached as decoration to the wall of a glass vessel.
1st century CE
425-350 BCE
1st century BCE - 3rd century CE
n.d.
1st century BCE - 1st century CE
Probably 1st-2nd century CE
1st century BCE -1st century CE
Probably 1st-2nd century CE
1st century BCE - 2nd century CE
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