Hercules' Combat With The Hydra

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Hercules' Combat With The Hydra
This spectacular baroque engraving is from Bernard Picart's Le Temple Des Muses.
The engraving was made in 1733, is from the first edition and is an original antique. It has captions in French, English, German, and Dutch.
It is in very good condition for its age.
In Greek myth Heracles (Hercules) was a divine hero famed for strength and adventures. As punishment for mistakenly killing his own children, Hercules had to complete twelve labours. The second was to slay the Hydra, a huge serpent with nine heads and poisonous breath that killed people and ruined crops. Hercules slew the hydra by cutting off all its heads. He soaked his arrows in its blood, making them poisonous. In this superb engraving by Bernard Picart, Hercules is in combat with the terrifying Hydra. Some of its heads lie on the ground The ornate border features a magnificent fire-breathing dragon and Hercules.