The Weary Herakles of Lysippos

Lysippos created a bronze statue, lifesized or probably larger, of Herakles leaning on his club after supporting the heavens on his shoulders, the apples of the Hesperides in the hand behind his back. The statue was made for Sikyon or Argos, or a copy for each city. The statue must have been cast about the time Alexander the Great died. Early in the Hellenistic period a version was made for Athens, and perhaps around 200 B.C. a baroque styling of the statue was fashioned for Pergamon. The first versions and the later recensions were all copied in various media on scales from colossal to miniature, including coins.Versions were made for the Greek imperial cities of Asia Minor, and the admiration of Emperor Commodus (about 190) led to statues with the Emperor's features, usually very idealized. The baroque versions, large and small, continued through the era of the Tetrarchs, especially on the coins of Maximianus Herculeus. Toward the end of Antiquity, and sooner, the Weary Herakles became more than just a decorative figure for gymnasia and baths. The Lysippic Herakles stood as a symbol of the cares, imperial, civic, and even spiritual, which the pagan ancients and their Judeo-Christian successors carried on their shoulders

Admiration · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Baroque · Bronze · Emperor · Literature · Statue · Symbol (formal · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Literary Studies · History · Philosophy

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