Hercules Pomarius

This statuette represents Hercules Pomarius and is made by an unknown artist in Florence, in ca. 1490-1510.

In classical mythology, Hercules was a hero and the personification of strength and courage. The figure holds the golden apples which Hercules stole from the garden of the Hesperides as the 11th of his twelve labours. The pose relates to an antique sculpture known from an engraving to have been in the Medici Collection, since lost. There is also a similarity with Michelangelo's David. The base is of a later date and originally formed part of a candlestick.