The Great Hercules

Goltzius’s prints, drawings, and paintings reflect the exaggerated forms of Dutch Mannerism. This work, the so-called “Muscleman,” was one of the largest figures printed at the time and thus is a tour de force of engraving. The club and lion’s skin identify the figure as Hercules. The muscular form of this massive figure contrasts with the delicate background—a bold demonstration of Goltzius's range of talent.

Hercules attained fame and immortality through his seven labors, two of which are depicted in the background. To the right, Hercules deprives Antaeus, a cruel and murderous tyrant of Libya, of his strength by lifting him off the ground, the source of his power. At left, Hercules fights Achelous, the ruler of Aetolia. True to Achelous's nature as a river god, he changed shape, first into a man; next into a snake, as implied by the sinuous riverbed; and finally into a bull. Goltzius’s combination of Achelous, son of the Ocean, and Antaeus, son of the Earth, symbolically pairs the hero’s victories over water and land.