The three-dimensional piece of art I chose as the subject of this paper is a 17th century German sculpture of the mythological hero-deity, Hercules.  This sculpture, apparently by an unknown artist, can be found on the second floor of the JB Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY.  The sculpture is based on an earlier work known as the “Farnese” Hercules, carved in the early third century BCE by Glykon of Athens.  The Farnese Hercules in turn is actually a Roman copy of an even older sculpture attributed to Lysippos, a Greek sculptor who lived during the time of Alexander the Great (and in fact made several portrait busts of the Macedonian king).  The Farnese Hercules is named so because after its discovery in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome in 1540, the sculpture was installed within the arcade around the courtyard of the Farnese Palace, also located in Rome.  The work now stands in the Italian National Museum in Naples.
     The German sculpture appears to be about twelve inches high, much smaller than the Farnese Hercules, which stands over nine feet tall!  The two sculpture vary not only in size, but also in the medium from which they were created - whereas the Farnese Hercules is hewn from marble, the German work has been carved from ivory, which gives it a rather interesting look.  While the sculpture sports an overall off-white color, it appears to be brown in certain places, most notably the hair, between the fingers, and in other intricate details - leading me to believe that such “browning” is the result of dirt, as such small places would be difficult to clean.  Another thing I found interesting about the ivory was the grey, mostly vertical “streaks,” which I chalked up to being an inherent quality of the material.  Indeed, by looking closely, one will notice the material seems to have a barely noticeable “grain” or texture.
     Hercules stands with his left foot forward, and his right hip cocked out.  A rock or tree stump sits to his left, upon which stands his olive-wood club, which Hercules leans on as if it were a crutch.  Atop the club is draped the skin of the Nemean Lion, a beast which Hercules had to slay in order to complete the first of twelve labors assigned him by Eurystheus, king of Mycenae.  Hercules was unable to slay the lion with his arrows or club due to the beast’s invulnerable hide.  He eventually overcame the creature by strangling it.  Using its own claws to skin the lion, Hercules took the hide as a trophy.  The detail on the lion’s skin alone is stunning.  The animal’s face and mane are visible atop the club, and one can even tell which side of the skin is the exterior and interior, due to the fur carved from the ivory.
     Hercules himself is powerfully built, and a savage grace can be seen in his relaxed posture.  No detail is spared, save for perhaps his pupils.  His nude form ripples with muscles, with the bulging veins of a champion bodybuilder visible everywhere (consequently, Herc looks like a steroid abuser, as his manhood appears to be rather miniscule).  An incredible amount of attention seems to have been given to his fingers, toes, hair, and beard.  A contemplative expression lies upon his face as he gazes downward and to his left.  One is led to wonder if the demigod is weary, depressed, or simply deep in thought.  Or perhaps he is thinking about his murdered wife and children, whose deaths he was responsible for.  His right hand is tucked behind his back, palm up, holding three of the golden apples of the Hesperides, which Hercules had to acquire for his eleventh labor.  The Hesperides were nymphs who lived in a beautiful garden, in which grew the tree that bore the golden fruit.  The garden was guarded by Ladon, a powerful dragon with one hundred heads, which Hercules overcame by getting the titan Atlas, who bore the world on his shoulders, to retrieve the apples while Hercules relieved the giant of his burden for a short while.  When the titan refused to take up his burden again after stealing the apples, Hercules tricked Atlas into holding up the world once more while he went to fetch a pillow for his shoulders.  Hercules didn’t return of course, but grabbed the apples and headed back to Eurystheus!
     I chose this sculpture not only for its masterful quality, but also for the subject which it depicts, as I find mythology (along with religion) to be extremely interesting.  Were there no Hercules tale, this piece would not be half as interesting.  It would simply be a high-quality sculpture of a “musclebound naked guy who kills lions and eats fruit.”  But knowing the story behind the piece gives it a lot more character.
     I also liked the grey streaks in the ivory, as I think one could draw some parallels between the perceived flaws in the material, and the flaws in Hercules (such his hot temper).  His relaxed posture and thoughtful expression also capture some of the tragedy found in the character.  Such tragedy can be found in the reason Hercules took up his twelve labors, which was to redeem himself for killing his wife, Megara and their three children in a fit of insanity brought on by the goddess Hera, who hated Hercules because he was the child of her philandering husband, the sky-god Zeus, and a mortal woman.  Tragedy can also be seen in his death, inadvertently (and ironically) brought on by his second wife,  Deianira.  Years before, she had been abducted by the centaur Nessus, who Hercules subsequently slain with his poisoned arrows.  The dying centaur told Deianira to keep some of his blood to use as a love potion if she feared Hercules was straying from her.  Years later, when she believed she was losing her husband to another woman, Deianira washed a shirt in the blood and gave it to her husband.  Nessus had lied to her, for the blood acted as poison and quickly slew the mightiest of the Greek heroes.  But this wasn’t such a bad thing, as Hercules was allowed by his father to ascend to godhood.  Deianira, however, got off about as lucky as Herc’s first wife.  She committed suicide out of grief.
     All in all, the fine workmanship of this sculpture, the appeal of the material used, and especially the stories by which the figure was inspired (never mind that this was modeled after previous works), make this one piece of art that, provided it were within my price range, I would be proud to own.

Related Links:
Glycon
Hercules: Greece's Greatest Hero
Lysippos