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Hercules and Cacus
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This chiaroscuro woodcut portrays Hercules’s heroic battle against Cacus, a murderous, flame-breathing giant. Cacus has fallen onto the bones of his victims. As a last defense, he blows fire at Hercules, who heaves his club overhead to strike a deadly blow. Goltzius portrayed the lead-up to the fight in the background, where Hercules rolls away a boulder at the cavern’s entrance, setting free a small herd of cows that Cacus had stolen. The vivid color combination of yellow and olive green helps energize this dramatic moment.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineHercules and Cacus, 1588. Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617). Chiaroscuro woodcut (in black, green, and yellow); sheet: 42.8 x 33.9 cm (16 7/8 x 13 3/8 in.); image: 41 x 33.2 cm (16 1/8 x 13 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1975.60
