Hercules holding apples of Hesperides, Roman, 2nd – 3rd century AD. Bronze. Height 25.2 cm. J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Herakles is the most famous hero in Greek mythology and perhaps also in all classical antiquity. His name comes from the goddess Hera and the Greek word “kleos” (glory), meaning “the glory of Hera”. He was considered to be the son of Zeus and Alceme, a mortal queen, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus on his mother’s side. At birth he was given the name of Alcaeus or Alcides, in honour of his grandfather. This very word evokes the idea of strength. It was as an adult that he received the name with which he is known, imposed on him by Apollo through the Pythia, to indicate his condition as a follower of the goddess Hera. In ancient Rome as in Western Europe, he is better known as Hercules, and some Roman emperors, Commodus and Maximian among others, identified with his figure. 

His extraordinary strength is the most important of his attributes, but he is also known for courage, pride, a certain candor and formidable sexual prowess. He is considered to be the forebear of the kings of Sparta, and this was one of the reasons for the dissemination of his legend and cult, making Hercules the Dorian hero par excellence. There are many stories in mythology about him, the most important one is that of the Twelve Labours of Herakles. The stories in which he has the leading role form a cycle which is constant through all antiquity, and for this reason it is difficult to give a chronological, or even a coherent exposition of them.

In Greek mythology the Nemean lion was a pitiless monster which lived in Nemea, and was finally slain by Hercules. The lion is considered to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna or of Orthrus and Chimera, although it was also said to have fallen from the moon, as the offspring of Zeus and Selene. 

The lion had been terrorising those in the surroundings of Nemea. It had a skin so thick that it could not be pierced by weapons. When Hercules confronted it for the first time all his arms proved ineffective. The lion’s den had two entrances. Hercules warded it off so that the lion entered the den. Then the hero sealed one of the entrances and cornered him in the den where he strangled the beast. 

He then took the body to Mycenae so that it could be seen by King Eurystheus, who had set the tasks that Hercules had to carry out. However the king was so terrified that he forbade Hercules ever to enter the city again. In future he was to display the fruits of his labours outside the city gates.

Hercules spent hours trying to skin the lion, but without success. Finally, Athena, disguised as an old witch, aided Hercules by telling him that the best way to skin the animal’s pelt was to use one of its own claws for the job. This way, with the help of a little divine intervention, he managed to get the lion’s skin, which, from then on, he wore as a form of armour, using the head as a helmet. He is depicted in this manner in most of the sculptures of antiquity.

The apples that Hercules holds in this image relate to the eleventh labour. The Hesperides were nymphs of evening and golden light of sunset, who were the Daughters of the Evening or Nymphs of the West. They tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in North Africa at the edge of the encircling Oceanus, the world-ocean, and it is in this garden that the golden tree is located.

As well as the garden, the golden tree and the nymphs, the Titan Atlas was also here holding up the heavens. Hercules tricked him into retrieving some of the golden apples for him, by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while. Upon his return, Atlas decided that he did not want to take the heavens back, and instead offered to deliver the apples himself to king Eurystheus, but Hercules tricked him again by agreeing to take his place on condition that Atlas relieve him temporarily, so that Hercules could make his cloak more comfortable. Atlas agreed, but Hercules reneged and walked away, carrying the apples.

However, since those apples were not meant for mortals, they were given to Athena who took them back to the garden. 

Hercules was a popular god in Rome, as well, and had many temples dedicated to him. He was also a patron deity of some of the emperors who would depict themselves in the guise of the god, such as Commodus. In the city of Rome, Hercules had many epithets such as Custos, Invictus, and Triumphalis. 

Accompanied by a copy of positive metallurgic analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr. Peter Northover (ex Department of Materials, Materials Science-Based Archaeology Group & Department of Materials, University of Oxford).

Provenance: Private collection, Surrey, England. Acquired in the early 1970s.

J. Bagot Arqueología - Ancient Art - Classical and Egyptian Antiquities. Consell de Cent 278, 08007 Barcelona, Spain